Whether you’re a sports coach or a business leader, a key part of leading your team is having a plan for success. But that plan won’t get you very far if your team doesn’t execute it.
What do successful leaders and coaches do to get their teams to execute their winning strategies?
Thanks to a partnership between Amway, USA TODAY and the American Football Coaches Association, we are sharing the wisdom from Arizona State University Head Football Coach Herm Edwards along with some successful Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs).
A career in football
At age 65, with 10 years as a professional football player, followed by 10 years as a college and pro football coach and another 10 years as an analyst for ESPN before returning to the field to coach the Sun Devils, Edwards has a lot of wisdom to share.
You can read it all in a fun quiz at USAToday.com, but here is a sampling. When we asked what one key characteristic leaders must have to execute a winning game strategy, he said the answer was simple.
“It’s called hope,” he said. “You must give people hope. It’s the most powerful word you can say. It gives people energy. It gives people a vision. It gives people direction.”
It takes more than preparation
He also puts a great deal of emphasis on his own accountability, passion from the players, preparation and confidence.
“It’s not enough to be well prepared,” he said. “Preparation is one thing, but the key to winning is confidence. You must have confidence in yourself as well as your teammates.”
Amway Independent Business Owner Manny Winston
Amway IBO Manny Winston agrees that preparation isn’t enough.
“You also have to be willing to win,” he said. “You have to have the desire to win, because if you don’t have the desire to win, being prepared really doesn’t matter.”
Getting out of a slump
What do you do if your team isn’t performing well?
Amway IBO Candice Winston said if her team isn’t performing as expected, it’s time to look at what has changed from previous successes, because that’s likely where the problem lies. Then the challenge is to adapt.
Amway Independent Business Owner Candice Winston
“To adapt effectively, you need to be able to change,” she said. “You need to be able to change your current strategy or enhance your strategy so that you can excel to the next level.”
Learn more
See more questions and answers from Coach Edwards and successful Amway IBOs at USAToday.com, and learn more about Amway Coaches Poll and the Coaches’ Trophy presented by Amway at Amway.com.
