Mission Based Coaching

Coach Tony Dungy and Level 5 Coaches

While in a Barnes & Noble, the January 02, 2006 issue of EPSN the Magazine caught my eye. It was clear that it had gone to press before the tradgey of Coach Dungy's son, James, death. The irony of the cover story was one thing that grabbed my attention, but the subtitle of the story, "Why isn't Tony Dungy Getting Any Credit?" is what made me pick up the issue. The actual article by David Fleming entitle "SSSHHH! Coach at Work" provides several examples from Coach Dungy's career in the NFL that support the conclusion that he fits what Jim Collins terms in his book Good to Great, as a Level 5 Leader. It also supported my instant conclusion when I saw the magazine cover - "it doesn't matter if he is getting any credit." As quoted in the article, Coach Dungy said,"The joy I receive from coaching in this game comes from the preparation and the winning...not getting the credit of the attention." In today's era of an increased percentage of "look at me!" coaches he may not be unique, but he is an a small fraternity. The other exclusive clube he belongs to is the one defined by success on the scoreboard that has done it by building a TEAM. Bill Belichick comes to mind as well. Coach Dungy's thoughts on using lots of players and giving everyone on the team a sense of being an indespensable part of the team's success are illuminated in the article. The strongest statement is a saying by his father, Wilbur Dungy, who always reminded Tony that "the best teacher [coach] is someone who brings out the best in every one of his students, someone who can do it without tricking them or bullying them or wanting credit for their acheivements." My sense is that he is one of those coaches that would be just as satisfied if he was coaching middle school football, as the preparation, striving to win, and the ability to teach life lessons are the same. As a resident of Central Indiana, however, I am very happy that he is plying his trade with the Colts and I consider it a privilege to get to watch Coach Dungy work week in and week out.
We hold his family in our prayers.

To find out more about Level Five Leaders check out http://www.jimcollins.com/lab/level5/index.html

posted by R. A. King @ 12:49 PM