World Class Coaching

Super Bowl champions are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile. If this sounds familiar, it's because it's one of many quotations (slightly modified) from Vince Lombardi, arguably one of the best coaches of all time. Getting any team to the NFL championships is not any easy task. It takes dedication, hard work and an unshakable belief that you will succeed.

We want to apply these same winning beliefs in our own lives if we want to be truly unstoppable. Lombardi is also credited with the classic persistence pays quote, "Winners never quit and quitters never win." So many of the mantras that we use in the business world today can be traced back to coaching. So who are these world class motivators and how do they manage to drive others to achieve excellence?

If you want to become successful at just about anything. A great place to find your motivation is to study the world's greatest coaches and read what it is that they've done to get the best results from their teams. Here's a list of the who's who when it comes to coaching greatness:

• Red Auerbach (NBA)
• Bobby Bowden (college football)
• Scotty Bowman (NHL)
• Paul Brown (NFL)
• Bear Bryant (college football)
• George Halas (NFL)
• Phil Jackson (NBA)
• Bobby Knight (men's college basketball)
• Mike Krzyzewski (men's college basketball)
• Vince Lombardi (NFL)
• Chuck Noll (NFL)
• Joe Paterno (college football)
• Casey Stengel (baseball)
• Pat Summitt (women's college basketball)
• Bill Walsh (NFL)
• John Wooden (men's college basketball)

If I'm missing a favorite of yours, please feel free to make comments on this post. The objective of this post is to provide a resource for inspiration that anyone looking for success can tap into. You can Google these guys, go to the bookstore or local library and read their philosophies; many of which may be overlapping, but here is a wealth of fundamental self-improvment material for your perusal. Start with your favorite or tackle the list in alphabetical order; it's all up to you how you go about gaining the winning edge in your own business and life. In closing, I'd like to share one more pearl of wisdom with you...

"The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." - Vince Lombardi