Growing up as an athlete, Dan Quinn realized early on that he wanted to pay back the coaches from his playing days by becoming a coach himself and passing on the lessons they instilled in him. Coach Quinn made the choices he had to in his life to become successful and reach his ultimate dream of coaching in the NFL. But he didn\u2019t get there alone, and he had a lot of influences along the way.\xa0
In this week\u2019s interview, the Atlanta Falcons head coach and I sit down and discuss how his dream of teaching elementary school children and coaching high school football evolved into what would eventually become success as a head coach in the NFL. We talk about how working for coaching legends like Jimmye Laycock, Bill Walsh, Nick Saban, and Pete Carroll have shaped him and his philosophies of how to act as the head of a team and organization.
Having mental toughness and an immense work ethic are two of the key qualities Quinn believes has led to him achieving the success that he has enjoyed. He has a passion for passing down core values to his coaching staff and players and is eager to share. We talk about how he has evolved as a leader, how everyone in an organization plays their own important role, where he finds his joy amid the everyday grind of NFL, what are characteristics he looks for in assistant coaches, and what advice he\u2019d like young coaches to know. He even gives us his current outlook of whether or not an NFL season is going to happen this fall.
The interview with Coach Quinn speaks to the many motivational ideals that people can use on the football field or in the board room. This week\u2019s conversation should not be missed.\xa0
LESSONS FOR LEADERS
1) There are people who have a singular mindset versus a team-focused mindset and that is a good thing. You can still think as a part of a team but keep yourself to a higher standard if you feel you didn\u2019t do your part. 2) Set goals and don\u2019t be afraid to make sacrifices for them. If you can go for it, you should. 3) Be authentic. People can tell when other people aren\u2019t being real. 4) Be consistent with everyone in the organization. 5) As the top leader, you need to coach those around you so that the message gets passed down to the rest of the staff. 7) However high the standard you set, you better live up to it. 8) Once you know what you have when it pertains to your employees or group, you need to figure out how to motivate each of them. There isn\u2019t one way that works for everyone. 9) Every person in the organization wants to know where they stand. It\u2019s up to you to communicate that to them. 10) You have to be willing to adjust as the landscape in business is ever changing. 11) Learn from your losses. You\u2019re not going to win them all.\xa0