Coach Tony Dungy on leadership

Make Sandorm, best-selling author of “The Fred Factor” interviewed legendary football coach, Tony Dungy for the Chick-fil-A Leadership Training Program on May 7, 2010.

Dungy was the first African American coach to win a NFL championship. He coached the Indianapolis Colts.

Here are some books that Dungy had written on leadership:






Here are some of the tips that Dungy presented:

There is a desperate cry for leaders of integrity.

Dungy said that he was very fortunate to have had mentors, coaches, and teachers who had helped him along the way.

Coaching is like parenting. Dungy coached like his parents. He teaches his own children the same way.

Help people to see their potential. Help them see what they’re capable of.

Be a great salesman as a coach. Get people to believe what is right.

All of us strive for this goal. Everyone is counting on me for the team. We’re all in this together. Perseverance is way. Keep at it. Point out progress at any level. Point out what is better. Coaches believe in what people can do.

See leadership potential in all people.

There are different ways to win. Dungy says to be yourself and lead in your way.

Try to help people because people cherish that most. Help players to do better.

Don’t deny character. Be a good teammate and part of a group.

Take people with potential and help them. Treat people right. Be honest and up front.

Winning is the goal. But most important, give back to the community.

Avoid getting a big head. Know where success comes from. Dungy says that talent is God given. Praise is people given. Be humble.

Stay focused during times of stress.

There is a difference between mentors and being a disciplinarian.

Discipline is hard up. There big goal is helping a person. Education is for helping people so they won’t make mistakes. Figure the right element for the situation. Some people react differently. It could hurt a person in the long-run by being too harsh.

Look for character when recruiting talent. This is important. Are people going to work together? Are they taking care of their responsibilities? How will they behave?

Be the best at what you’re doing and balance that with home life. Family has to come first because they’ll be with you all of your life.

Dungy left the Colts after a career of 28-years coaching. He said he enjoyed it, but felt that God wanted him to reach out and help people in a new way.

Dungy says it is important to realize when it is time to do something new.

Here is Dungy’s quick pep-talk as summarized by Danny Pettry.

#1: God put me here for a reason. I’m impacting people regardless if I realize it or not. Preserve. People should benefit from me. Be determined to be the person to make the big play. Make a difference. Look inside and figure out what I can do to be the one.



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