Timeless Teaching From Vince Lombardi

Some things stand the test of time.

Williams Shakespeare’s writing is still as influential as it was 200 years ago.

The Eiffel Tower is still an amazing piece of architecture.

The Statue of Liberty continues to serve as a welcoming sight to those who move to America.

And Vince Lombardi’s leadership lessons continue to be impactful.

Thursday was the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Hall-of-Fame Green Bay Packers’ coach. And while many believe Lombardi’s hard-line approach might be too regimented for some of today’s players, his words and his wisdom continue to resonate. When you understand how the man interacted with each player, it becomes apparent that his principles would still work today.

Lombardi is famous for many quotes, but perhaps his greatest stems from a core belief that many wouldn’t even associate with him:

“You don’t have to like all your players, but you must love them.”

Lombardi understood the difference between like and love. For him, love was an unconditional emotion, the betterment of the team and the willingness to always put it first.

Loving someone means that he or she means everything to you. Liking someone means that you are simply happy being with that person.

Lombardi would have loved his players today, and they would have loved him back because his entire goal was to bring out the best in them every single day. What would his team look like today? During his era, NFL teams ran the football effectively because it was the best way to execute offensively given the rules. Lombardi would have adapted his style to today’s game, but his core beliefs of loving his team would have stayed the same.

Back then and today, Lombardi’s teams would:

1. Be the best conditioned in the NFL. No one would be out of shape or else they would not play. Conditioning was the cornerstone of all of Lombardi’s teaching. Navy Seals cannot be the best without being in the best condition. Lombardi’s team set the standard for conditioning.

2. The fundamental technique would become the focus of Lombardi’s teaching. Lombardi understood when conditioning is inadequate, and players are tired, their fundamentals and techniques all become poor, which causes the execution to be poor.

3. Less is more. Lombardi was a teacher at heart; he understood that players played their fastest when they didn’t have to think — only react. His modern teams would have tendencies because he believed that no good team could succeed without having tendencies.

When we love our players and demand excellence from them, we can achieve darn near anything. Lombardi’s timeless plan worked in the 1960s, and it would work today too.

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway and Katie Yezzi. This book puts practice on the front burner of all who seek to instill talent and achievement in others as well as in themselves. This is a journey to understand that practice, not games, makes champions.

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