Lou Holtz on Leadership

thank you Bob I appreciate that wonderful introduction I get nervous when people stand up when I'm introduced because I think they're all are getting up to leave but boy I want congratulate you all on what you've done Bob you and mr. Stoller and mr. gray in 1983 will you people have done in the three hundred sixty-seven thousand people you got a job last year the difference you made in people's lives I congratulate you now what tell you snice to be around successful people I know you've had tremendous success I know from the year 2002 you've gone from eight hundred million dollars 1.6 billion you've gone from four hundred to franchise that five hundred thirteen you know the most impressive thing you're not only successful you're significant the difference is if you're successful when you die it ends when you're significant is when you help other people be successful so I come here very very humbly and I'm not going to preach to your lecture to you I do understand this it's a lot different sign the paychecks on the front and it is on the back you know though people sign on the back they got all the answer said and it's so great to have so many spouses here I've said so many times I said sincerely if you want some great advice listen to your spouse nobody knows you any better loves any more wants to see you succeed any more or cares about you any more than they do boy if not only somebody loved dearly she my best friend there's nobody's opinion I respect as much as my wife it's a matter of fact when I throw high estate under Woody Hayes we won the national championship no higher national bank had a huge billboard sign that said behind every successful person stands a very surprised mother-in-law boy that's true in my case may be true yours as well but does let's understand who Lou Holtz is not I'm not a singer I'm not a dancer I'm not an intellect I'm very much like Bob I was a lower half my school class as a matter of fact I'm the only person you will ever meet this world who has written more books than he is read right so so just understand this a plain simple individual here today I know you're sitting there saying well what do we have in common well all my life my job has been to build a team in order to be successful you know a lot of things this world I don't understand I don't understand how black Howie's green grass produces white milk and yellow cheese I don't understand why they sell hot dogs and packages at 10:00 and hotdog buns and packages of 8:00 I don't understand why a sick person has to go all the way back to the pharmacy to get medicine healthy person can buy cigarettes at the door I don't understand that but what I really don't understand has helped some people born with so much achieve so little and some people born with so little achieve so much I don't understand how some people say an obstacle and look on as an opportunity somebody else sees an obstacle to merely gets discouraged Noland general and I every story I tell you is absolutely true when I went to University of Notre Dame father joy said coach before you accept this job there are certain things that are not negotiable don't come here think you're going to change the other day because these things we will not change while we're here we will not redshirt we will not take a transfer from another school they're going to need 16 core curriculum classes needn't be considered for admission we don't have good football facilities we don't want to prove because we didn't want to be a football factory he said in addition that he said we're going to play the most difficult schedule we can find we expect and compete for the national championship every two years don't come here think you're going to put an easy schedule he said the other thing that's non-negotiable the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame is not allowed to make more than the president the University in the presence of priests now we walked into press conference father joy said coach I appreciate you one mention anything about salary I said oh don't worry father I'm as embarrassed about as you are I won't say a word but he didn't say a single thing it would destroy me he didn't say anything it would keep us from being successful yeah I presented some problems he presented some obstacles but he didn't say you could only play with seven everybody else to play with eleven now father Hesburgh said to me said coach I named you the head football coach at Notre Dame because titles come from above people can name you the franchise but they cannot name you the leader as he said leaders will be determined from below and who's the leader I said father it's Berg wouldn't your minds a leader he said if you have a vision and you have a plan 1983 when Acme went bankrupt and Bob and William and James had a vision at a vision where they want to go and only two years later they awarded their first franchise you have to have a vision where you want to go but an equally important you have to have a plan how to get there and what I'm going to share with you is a plan that we use to build a team to overcome obstacles and difficulties I've taken over six college situations never inherited a winner never failed to go to a bowl game by the second year at the latest I believe in this plan I believe in it strongly and there's five points to the plan that didn't real complicated and it doesn't matter what phase your life before I give you the plan I want you to ask yourself this question if I didn't go home who would miss me and why if I didn't go to work who would miss me and why if our organization went out of business who would miss us and why because what we have to make sure is we are making a difference that we're different everybody else that we have a purpose we have a function and we stand for something if an airline's without a business you wouldn't notice it could you just go flying other airlines are all the same but Disney went out of business you'd miss them because it's different it's unique its separate there's nothing else like it and what you people have done you have made a difference in people's life because nobody is doing the job that you're doing now the plan we have is five points the first plan is an attitude you choose and I emphasize you choose because it's a choice now you're like me nobody's gonna wind you up nobody go Craig yep nobody go give you a pep talk in the morning that's up to you to set the tempo and the attitude because people are going to take your attitude you know what's your attitude when things go wrong let me tell you what at my first year at the University of South Carolina I inherited the longest losing streak in the country that first year my wife had her second major cancer surgery they gave her ten percent chance to live I'm happy to report she's doing very well now I don't pray for her anymore I pray to her I mean she's a true say but I thought we might lose her and my son skip went into a coma the week we played Georgia with a rare illness my mother died the Friday before we played Florida man's most prized possession this all my first year I was on a school where playing for days recruiting I was going to be on to two more days that we landed in Lady Island Airport the pilot said coach will you visit the athlete we're going to fly Loven miles d he'll need to get gas and we'll fly back and pick you up leave your suitcase leave your hanging bag on the airplane during that level mouth late to school plane crashed one school pilot was killed instantly another one seriously injured who later died we lost every single football game we played a year we went on eleven now had a kicker they said I can't kick when you're watching I explained I was going to be at the games that was part of it now we're growing 11 that year but records could be deceiving we really weren't as good as the record would lead you to believe it and boy you talk about being down you got to choice make yourself up or you stay down you can't count on anybody else Georgie's going to call say could you don't have a quarterback let me send you one and the news media is all over them people are criticizing you and that's up to you then you've got to be a leader then more than ever when things aren't going well I can't begin to tell you how many times I get dental money and pre before I went into a staff meeting that I could be courageous and brief and bring the right attitude that we're going to make it it was hard yeah things like this at me all the time I'm in an airport got walked up me and said anybody tell you look like Lou Holtz I said happens to me all the time and he said really makes you mad doesn't it you move on you have no other choice that way you don't find happiness the environment this nice was Bob introduced me sort of slid over the fact I signed to favor your contract with the New York Jets I went the new year just maybe the best job in America but I turned it down three different times because I did really want to leave NC State my children were young and happy my wife was happy I finally said door well let's go see if we don't like professional football we always come back to intercollegiate athletic I went there with a negative attitude every time there's a problem every time their difficulty I said I didn't think this would work out I didn't think it's what I wanted to do and we had some beautiful people there Joe Namath our quarterback just a wonderful individual but the attitude I had I resigned after eight months maybe the best job in America is miserable unhappy and unsuccessful I regret it to this day because when the few things have walked away from but if you don't have the right attitude I don't care what situation you're in how great the opportunity is you're going to be too blind to see it on the other hand several years ago they asked me to go to the University of Minnesota to coach now Minnesota lost 17 games every score was 47 to 13 and they offered a job to five different people including three assistant coaches and one of them didn't even have a job and all five turned it down and a guy named heard me a case said but there's a great opportunity here Lou he said you just have to understand how talented the people are he said for example last year in Nebraska beat us by 10 well that impressed because Nebraska is a good program not as good as Oklahoma but they have a good program when I didn't realize Harvey meant ten touchdowns I mean Nebraska beat it's 84 to 13 ohio state sixty eight to ten and lost 17 games every score 47 30 but I took the job anyway I didn't want to go to Minnesota because everybody ever met from Minnesota a blonde here in blue ears so I didn't want to go there and every time I looked at the back of the USA Today they're always in dark blue so but but I win anyway you know what Lane gentleman is one of the great experience I've had Minnesota is a wonderful place to live even though the state birds of mesquita and the second year we were in a bowl game and wanted here's what I say to you the New York Jets maybe the best job in America is missable unhappy and successful Minnesota job nobody wanted was a great experience of we're successful what's the difference the attitude you approach it are you looking at problems or you're looking for solutions I could go on and on about that ladies and gentlemen and it affects the attitude of the people you work with Jerome Bettis the bus how great it was for Jerome Bettis but let me tell you Jerome this story was written up in the New York Times about two weeks ago Jerome Bettis played for me at Notre Dame he left Notre Dame he's drafted in the first round he was Rookie of the Year for the Los Angeles Rams his second year wasn't very good as third year was a disaster everybody said he's washed up he was thinking about quitting the game with an open date of Notre Dame I wish the Rams playing he didn't play good so I called them on Monday I said Jerome is coach Schultz I saw the game and I he said what you think I said that's why I'm calling you I said Rome I don't know where you were yesterday but you didn't go to the game but obviously there's somebody in person at you where in your jersey your number your name but these give me a bad reputation but I know you never play that bad B I'll find out who it is and put a stop to it and hung the phone up that's all Seth never gave him a chance to say a word soon the season's over drone better SIM office he said coach I've been thinking about that conversation he said when I left Notre Dame I had a wonderful attitude and then I got with the wrong people and he said my attitude digressed he said I'm going to spend the next five months in Notre Dame and get his attitude right and he said I am going to go back during that five months Bill Cowher the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers who I coached and recruited at the University of North Carolina State called me said coach we're thinking about trading for Jerome Bettis what do you think I said I think it would be a great move you get the same talent but a different attitude now drums are fourth all-time leading rusher in NFL history or go into the Hall of Fame and when they were going to the Super Bowl what did his teammates talk about it was important for them to get Jerome to Detroit because of the attitude the love and the admiration everybody had for him and attitudes a choice but it's so critical so critical I'm in South Carolina one week the phone range a young man said coach my name's Ryan brewer and I won't play for you I said Ryan I don't know anything about you tell me he said I'm a running back from Troy Ohio I'm 5 foot 10 185 pounds I'm an A student and I was Player of the Year in the state of Ohio I said if you're player of the year in the state of Ohio Ryan I want to coach he said coach I was I want play for you but I need a scholarship I said Ryan if what you told me is true you have one it's a coach it's absolutely true and I accept the scholarship I said that's great the best wonderful run who else offers you one is that no babe I'm glad you did I said Oh hash they didn't recruit you thought it's too small Michigan Tusa he did not have a scholarship offer now when an athlete arrives on campus first thing we do is we time him in the 40-yard dash now rocket Ishmael came to another Dame you knew he was going to be great because he was fast he could turn out the light and get in bed before it got dark I I mean Jessica and I'd love to watch Ryan I would love to watch a rocket Ishmael played tennis because he played by himself in a vapor well Ryan brewer arrived on campus that we watched him run the 40-yard dash I exaggerate not he's one of the slowest players I'd ever see I was willing to bet anybody if Ryan brewer got in a race with a pregnant mother he would finish third the guy could run but he believed in himself silly and gentlemen you succeed when nobody else believes in you if you have no chance to succeed if you don't believe in yourself Ryan Brewer believed he could be play major college football and all he wanted was a chance to do so that young man that nobody wanted we went from own 11 to the second largest turnaround the history of the NCAA the following year were nationally ranked we play Ohio State in a bowl game on January 1 young man and nobody wanted rush for over a hundred yards cut pass for over hundred yards scored three touchdowns was most valuable player in the football game the following year we played Ohio State again and beat him again he averaged 13 yards a carry C Lane gentlemen his attitude was hey I can do it just give me a chance I'm not asking for anything easy I'm not asking for any special favors all I'm saying is let me prove to you how good I can be and I gave them the opportunity I learned a valuable lesson the attitude if somebody is so much more important in talent what you're capable doing is determined by the amount of talent God gave you how well you do some determination or whether you do something but how will you do something determined by your attitude what's your attitude when people say negative things several years ago we took Notre Dame down to New Orleans to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl that a great football team now we're an underdog rifle we would win because the attitude of our team which we did and on December 23rd dates on our football team home for two days I took my wife and my four children we went to Orlando now we have four children or all girls but two and I'm real proud of that fact we went out to dinner and I'm never happier than when I'm with my family and a waiter came up and he recognized me he said you're Lou Holtz head coach of Notre Dame are you Knight said yes sir they took out my pen thing he won not a grave he said let me ask you a question he said what's difference between Notre Dame materials I said I don't have a clue he said well Cheerios belong in a bowl Notre Dame does it hi I'm here to tell you my attitude changed now III I wasn't a very happy camper and I'm grumbling mumbling fighting my wife said you're going to let somebody you never met before never go see again ruin an evening with your family she said you're smarter that you can't let somebody else that doesn't care about you control your happiness I said honey you're so right that's why I love you're so smart so I called a young man back overnight and a spy said son let me ask you a question I said what's difference between new hole to the golf pro he said I don't have a clue I said a golf pro gives tips you know chief we can't let anybody else determine our attitude but I could talk forever but the attitude you have towards challenges and centers by far the most important thing in your organization and associate yourself with people with the proper attitude also the second point is you have to have a passion to win you have to have a passion to succeed I don't after athletes how may want to win everybody wants to win when the bands play in the crowds cheering the TV lights are on question I ask can you live with losing can you live with failure can you live with mediocrity because if you can that's for exactly what you're going again and I love to be around successful people I know this right now Bob Bob and his lovely wife the sacrifices they've made because you cannot be successful without sacrifice there's no way possible say Lane genom you show me a successful parent a successful spouse you show me a successful Express personnel service people person I listen to you call out the winners Awards you know what I think it immediately I know the sacrifice those people had to make to win because you cannot succeed without sacrifice losers called punishment you know I'm one of these crazy people talk on the elevator I'm on the elevator six o'clock good morning to you young lady get on she had a jogging outfit I said how far you go to run day she said six miles I said wow I don't even drive that far she said to you jug I said oh no I want to be sick when I die but I admire the sacrifice baby she is there why do you stay so skinny I said I can't eat when the Cubs lose I think that's fifty somebody the sacrifice people making you know you're just beating you're just building this wonderful we get a chance to learn exchange ideas solve problem and your enthusiasm great but when you get back and things get difficult and everybody starts coming in and your job is 24/7 I read where Bob said in an interview well yeah you can be successful you're willing to work in 80 hour week I know but you must understand or sacrifice a few years ago Notre Dame we played the University of Michigan our opening game coached by Bo Schembechler I knew it'd be a good game would have to play well so in the team report I talked about how we had to make a maximum use of every medal on the practice field the first couple days was great and enthusiasm excitement yeah then they got tired they got sore and they I became their enemy they didn't care about Michigan they cared about the fact they were uncomfortable they're tired and we weren't getting a bit better they're going through the motions you could go out there practice of two days and you weren't going to be any better so finally I walked out one day I called team up and I said men I called Bo Schembechler day the coach at Michigan I didn't call Bo Bo's I said it daylight cementec Oh Bo now jabo you're Michigan players tired he said yeah I said Bo we're tired to tell you what Bo you give mister players the day off I'm going to give Notre Dame players day off our players start high find one another and cheers I looked at my Zappos said nope Bohdan territories go to practice to us I don't want to practice you before go beat Michigan we have to practice two and a half took us three hours but we had two and half hours good practice work so well that day I walked out next aircon mom and said hey man I called Moe today they looked at me real fine answer what bo say I suppose your players beat up I'm sorry said yeah I said tell you what mo you practice Michigan and shorts I'll practice another name in shorts I said man you ain't gonna believe this bo said no but don't care else where you go scrimmage I don't want you to feel your pain but if we're going to beat Michigan we have to scrimmage and don't get mad at maybe you remember this when you see Bo on September 12th as guy doing not man I did a four straight days saying I called Bo walked out the fifth day before I could say word one of our players at a coach I called Bo today I said what bo says a boat that is players eat steak and lobster you know but but it's just understanding the challenges you have so number one you're going to make a phrase the second thing if you have a passion to win you're going to get rid of all the excuses why you can know ladies and gentlemen coming into Oklahoma I couldn't help but refer back to 1977 before most of you were born that's coach at the University of Arkansas we're getting ready to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl Oklahoma at the time we played him would be number one at a great football team had a great tradition last time Oklahoma had played Arkansas was in the early 20s when Oklahoma had beaten him 106 to nothing and so this game was very very important to the Arkansas people but unfortunately I had to suspend three athletes that scored 78 percent of our touchdown and two suspended because they violated the due rate rule I won't go into at this time but there was no way they were going to play everybody got upset etc we went down to play Oklahoma we're twenty four point underdog in that game if you watched our team practice you saw negative football team I want to compliment when I was talking to Therese and Linda and Bob and talking about the group they had nothing but great things to say about you and it's a very positive group an upbeat group you say how do you know that listen do you talk during lunch I see how you laugh how year and I wore football team when they're negative they they're so uncomfortable they come into a meeting roommate won't talk to one no they won't look at one no they wouldn't look at me and I couldn't get them to laugh and I finally said don't miss four days before the game I said men I know all the reason why we can't win I read about the great players from Oklahoma go and play every day in the paper I read about the great players from Arkansas that aren't going to play I've never read one positive comment about anybody on this team in this room so I know why we can't win I don't want you to tell me why we can't win what I want you to tell me why we can nobody said anything for a while finally a young man got up he said coach we have the number one defense the country which we did he said so we aren't going to get beat near as bad as everybody thinks well and one what a water but it was a step in the right direction then they point out we had a great partner we had a great place kicker we had a great competitor quarterback we had a great offensive line I wanted to say they had a great coach that never came up but when they left that rumor with a different team why they focus on what they had stop focusing on what we don't have so many times we have a problem or difficulty we stop focusing on the assets and the talents and the abilities and the opportunity we start looking at problems and difficulties I can talk forever about a passion to win it leads me to point number three stay focused on what you're doing stay focus on what you're doing I've read everything I possibly could about this excellent company and by you go back to the founding of it and the whole purpose this entire company is to help people you're trying to help people that's why you've been so successful you've helped three hundred sixty nine sixty seven thousand people get a job for your help and employees yeah why are you successful why have you had tremendous growth why is it anticipated I think 21% is coming here why because your hell open people get what they want sheelane gentlemen is not very complicated I'm not very smart but all I try to do is use common sense the only way I've been able to get by is I'm not smart I went to school basically eat my lunch no other reason but when in doubt I've used common sense first time I remember usual it was in the seventh grade had a nun named sister Mary Harriet she didn't like me didn't think I was very smart passed out a test a big test one day and I didn't know many answers so I finished before everybody else because most of my papers blank and I started looking around out of boredom I wasn't good sheet I wear glass I couldn't see any way and she hollered from the whole class she said Lou Holtz don't you even think about cheating she said if I even suspect you're cheating I'm taking 10% off your grade I got out the textbook and I said 90 sounds good to me but let's use common sense all you're doing is you're fighting down to problems people have and showing them how you can help solve it better than anybody else can legitimate if you're going to help people solve problems it takes teamwork you have to work together the University of South Carolina after we went on eleven it's about June to our July odd January 28th I said to our football team I want you to meet me in the stadium at 10:30 and bring your workout gear that's all I said in our stadium see today I had an 80,000 seat Stadium January 28th it's completely empty but I had the lights on and we averaged 82 thousand the six years I there had great fan support but there's nothing more eerie than a beautiful big stadium empty at night the players came out and they weren't real happy they didn't know what I wanted had a huge rope I said give me the 15 strongest defensive players give me the 15 strongest offense they merely started a tug of war the offense started to win and pretty soon the defense started to win and the defense started to win because I looked over they didn't have 15 they had 18 20 and then pre sooner had the whole team all the defense here all the offense they're involved in a huge tug-of-war grunt and groan and finally the offense won they get a yeah yeah we won they said we can't win when we pull against each other the only chance we have if we pull for each other with each other think how powerful we could be if we stopped pulling against each other I proceeded to sit the team down and talk to them about teamwork the speech that I had worked on and prepared I'm not going to cover all the points but let me cover some of the major points I covered point number one we need each other we absolutely need each other let's understand that there's all kind of Hall of Fame's football basketball actors Italian American Hall of Fame but I've never seen a monument built to a team they've never seen anybody achieve anything by themselves so let's understand we need one another what a team enables you to do is accomplish things that no individual regardless how multi-talented he may be can do by himself let's understand we need the offense the defense of kicking eight let's understand you need management need two people your office you need the employers you need to help we need each other we must work together that's number one point number two our overall goal does succeed and you're going to have a role to help us achieve this overall goal I want to say this to you ladies and gentlemen as I said our football team you may not like your role but all I want you to understand is everybody has a role and that role is critical if we didn't need that role to help us win we wouldn't have it your role may be a backup left guard you may not like that but that is important because whether you like your role or not our overall goal is more important because all the hopes and ambitions of everybody rides with this overall goal and I can't let one individual being unhappy with his role ruin it you may not want to succeed that's fine but you don't have the right to cause other people to fail because you don't fulfill your role point number three is a challenge escalates the need for teamwork must elevate I didn't need teamwork to go on eleven we need teamwork when you play in Notre Dame we played Michigan Ohio State Southern Cal University of Texas I mean Tennessee because it how do you sleep when you looked at schedule I said like a baby woke up every two hours and cry that's an old Blayne gentleman is a challenge escalate you must elevate teamwork point number four the team must improve there's three ways to improve a team number one you add people you're glad you recruit good people you strengthen the team by adding good people you also can strengthen the team on occasion by deleting bad people where the bad people they're the ones always bitching moaning complain about everything and never have a positive suggestion you will improve the TV get rid of that person but the most important way that team can improve is everybody on that team should be better today than they were yesterday but not as good as you'll be tomorrow seal and gentlemen the way the team improves is to get better you just think you should be better today in your yesterday and better the more you worry today and how you do your jobs and that's what's great about this convention been able to interact and network and ask questions and find out how successful people handle the problems you have because you all have the same problems I go to a coaching convention I never want to talk I want to ask questions because that's how you learn but that's how the team improved then everything to do with age at age 84 winston churchill's in the House of Commons after serving as Prime Minister two different times the reporter came up to him on his 84th birthday said happy 84th birthday mr. Churchill he said do you think I get a chance to wish you happy hunters he said I think so you look pretty healthy to me you know it's that mentality trying to get better and the fifth thing about teamwork you can't have a weak link you can't have a weak person outside in sales or a weak person inside you can't have week training for your people etc silly and gentlemen and number six is everybody on the team has to pay a price you can't have three or four people pay the price for everybody these were just some of the things I talked to our team about about teamwork and six months later were nationally ranked but we went from own 11 as I said I think to 9 and 3 but it's just about teamwork if our purpose is we could not win if we didn't have teamwork you can't satisfy the needs of the customers if you don't have teamwork the other thing I know about this you're going to satisfy the needs of the people you must embrace change you have to embrace change most people fight change and we love to sit down Bob and ask you about all the changes that have happened in this organization since 1983 and all the different things with the with the various computerized age we live in all the different changes the way you do different things it's change embrace change as long as you're changing to meet the needs of the people I don't know why these people fight change basically nobody likes change I didn't like change I didn't want to throw the football I want to run the football because I learned there Trevor Budd books and it didn't hurt to run the football barry switzer you take the ball you turn and you hand it to a great running back at Notre Dame named Ricky Watters ar.drone been ascending hard anybody do it I can do it Bob can do it she can do it she can do it they ain't going anybody do it that's not hard but to throw the football that's hard got a drop back protect the passer run the route read the cover start that's hard so I went to South Carolina said we're going to run the football I believe in running the football well the quarterback took the ball and hand it Ricky Watters and drove Bennett's one there the guy was there didn't want to ball and we went to own 11 so we had to change that I want change no but we had to why did we change because we could not win if we didn't change it that was one of our purposes why do we move steady home from a classroom where everybody felt like they're in jail and dumb to the library because it would nabel's to graduate better why because there's one way in there's one way out where the good students go study the library where the girls go the library where are the computers in the library every change I made was made either graduate or win that was it every change you make should be made will this help us satisfy our customers our clients better and embrace it do you realize in 1870 18 the typewriter de première with the tape raised if you tape too fast a key stock and so we'll never sell typewriter if the key stick so he put together a committee to figure out how to keep the keys from sticking committee came back after reasonable length times that we can keep engaged keys from sticking I said that's marvelous how'd you get it to tape faster is that we can't do that but we can get it to tape slower he said well I was handy so we're going to hide the letters on the keypad we'll put a up here we'll put B down there we'll hide C up there we'll put Q over here and R over there and nobody go be able to tape fast go left hon you're going to have to pack now why why they put that thing there then you wonder why the letters on the keypad or screwed up after you couldn't type fast now today no matter how fast you take the keys won't stick you try to change the letters of the keep I don't don't change SC because I know that I'm familiar with that three Lane gentlemen embrace change I could talk forever about it but you look the top fortune 500 companies fifty years ago look the top fortune 500 today not many are on the same list why because people's needs change and people don't always change the meet the needs of the people you look at it in so many different areas you look the cost of health care and the lack of loyalty that people have the corporations etc that more and more people need you and all the wonderful opportunities you have to make changes also I would understand I'm not trying to pretend I know how to do your job as I understand it at one time you had a lot of health workers available few jobs and now we've moved where there's a lot of jobs and maybe fewer workers that all involves change but embrace it but don't ever lose sight of what you're trying to do you aren't running a express personnel service you're helping people point number four be a dreamer I want to congratulate Bob is lovely wife William James for being a dreamer having a vision I'm sorry I did not get a chance to listen to his talk this morning but I asked Bob I said tell me what he covered this morning and he talked about dreams talked about a vision about where you're going I believe that have a vision things happen when you have a dream Martin Luther King meant one of the 10 greatest speeches known the history of mankind one of them was Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address john f kennedy's that's not what this country can do for you but what you can do for your country was one also I think it was Winston Churchill never so many owed so much to so few was one and also was Martin Luther King where he stood up front a hundred thousands of people he made his famous speech he said I have a dream and motivated people inspired people and changed this country for the better one man had a dream he had a dream and he talked about I have a dream then I'll do respect to Martin Luther King let me ask you do you think his speech would had the same effect and Martin Luther King stood up and said I have a strategic planner was show you strategic plan don't excite me by dreams do look at me I'm 5 foot 10 152 pounds were glasses speak with the list have a physique it appears like I'd been afflicted with very very scurvy most of my life I got out of high school I never had a dream all I wanted was a car a girl a job two mill five dollars I'd never had any of them nobody from our family had ever gone to college my high school coach came up told my parents I should go to college be a coach my mom decided she would go to work as an x-ray tech my wife what my mother would go to work as a nurse's aide working loving the 7:00 to send me to college financially I didn't have a scholarship I said no I'm not going to college my mom and dad said you are I said I'm not they said you are so we compromised and I went that was a typical compromise in our family so I never had any dream just going along and I go to the University of South Carolina under Marvin bast and assistant coach my wife's eight months pregnant with our third child we spent every cent we had to Bank for down payment on a home I am there one month one month I get up on a Monday morning the headline of the paper reads Marvin bass resigns I said to my wife I wonder if he's related to my coach all of a sudden I find out I'm not employed Thomas F Jones this envelope OD so Dean pick his own staff and I didn't know anybody in South Carolina to recommend me I didn't know Paul D so rainbow and his staff so I was not retained as unemployed and after my wife gave birth to Kevin who's now the lawyer he graduated from Notre Dame Law School I said what's the most important thing he learned in law school he said most important thing I learned with my first-year professor told me always remember this if somebody's going to go to jail make sure it's your client not you I said that's good advice say well after she gave birth to Kevin my wife went to work as an x-ray technician which was her profession which is probably where the cancer came because they didn't get behind a curtain then that said it I just stayed home dad as I stayed home dead and feeling defeated my wife bought me a book the anything was going to change it from where you are today to where you'd be five years from now of the books you read the people you meet and the dreams you dream so the children were taking a nap and I just thumbing through he talked about having some goals you suggested get out a piece of paper write down five columns which I did column number one with things I wanted to do as a husband and a father all four of our children graduated from college have been married to my lovely wife for 45 years column number two with things I want to do religiously God's very important in my life I don't preach it I don't lecture it I hope the way I live my life reflects the faith I have in God that's why we're so gratifying to see the Christian principles that this company was built upon I love what st. Augustine said he said you gotta preach the gospel 24 hours a day and when absolutely necessary even resort to using words so that's pretty good call them number three with things I want to accomplish financially call them number four which things one do professionally I want to coach another day one to win national champion said or call them number five was things one do for excitement I'm said that what do they do first thing I put down was I one jump out of an airplane because I was an officer in the army and I was at Fort Campbell Kentucky the home 101st screamin eagle and you're always jumping out by airplane yeah then I want to land on an aircraft carrier now I want to go on a submarine now I'm going to be on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson I want to go whitewater rafting on the Snake River for four days and three nights I wanted to learn how to do magic want to make a hole-in-one want to play the greatest golf course and world one to go to the White House for dinner one to visit with the Pope want to go to Pamplona and run with the Bulls with a slower person I had him down my wife come home I'd so excited I said honey I wrote down 107 things we're going to do him on I never forgive my wife look James - gee that's great she said but why don't we get a job so we made it a hundred eight now those hundred eight we've done hundred - I've done everything I mentioned except run with the Bulls although my son ran with them last year I know what it's like come on airplane at 10,000 feet freefall 5,000 feet in 45 seconds pull the chute and fold the other five thousand feet and seven half minutes they never go and do it again later today when I fly out and we could have 10,000 feet and I look at that window I remember what it's like I can remember when they opened that door 10,000 feet in the winds Hal and the engines roaring I think of the three people push me out but don't go through life and be a spectator be a participant dreams make things happen you have to have a vision where you want to go but don't make the mistake of made I've done lot of dumb things or anything I regret except one thing with the University of Notre Dame we took program on the bottom Miami beaten in 58 to 6 and the last game preceding the year of my arrival I went the University of Notre Dame and we took the program to the top for nine straight years we went to January 1 bowl sugar cotton orange or fiesta nobody's done it before nobody's done it since we took at the top and we kept it there we maintained it and it's the thing I truly regret in my life that we maintained it there seal a and gentlemen I left the University of Notre Dame I never thought I'd coach again where do you go from Notre Dame according to my mother except you go directly to heaven you sit by the Pope then I went I do TV working let me tell you something about TV I didn't real hard on TV you just talk to you think of something to say then I went to live in a town with the every geezers deceased and what I found out what I had that same empty feeling what it was I wasn't tired of coaching I was tired of maintaining there's a rural life and said you're either growing or you're dying the trees either growing or steins those grass so the business so is a marriage but so is a person and you know what happens you get successful late and gentlemen you get there you say you know this pretty good let's not risk it let's not take any chance let's not create any problems let's not have any more disappointments let's not have any more heartaches let's keep it here any time you try to maintain some rain gentlemen you're dying you stop being the hunter and you become the hunted what we should have done would set goals and standards nobody thought was possible but anytime you try to maintain you never have reason to celebrate you never ever reason to get excited and so that's why once the universe South Carolina they'd won one bowl game 108 year history but nationally ranked one time and it was exciting you know what Lane and gentlemen you have to have four things in your life everybody has to have four things in your life one you have to have something to do number two you have to have someone to love number three you have to have someone to believe in number four you have to have something to hope for if you don't have all four of those things in your life I guarantee you there's a void and when you try to maintain you never had anything to hope for and that is absolutely disastrous that's why dreams are so important in LA gentlemen I could talk forever about that but let me go to point number five how do we create an environment where everybody lifts each other up and doesn't pull each other down I take number six college situations never inherited a winner never failed to go to a bowl game by the second year at the latest and what found out in every lucency situation that a group of people were so insecure they're always criticized everybody else trying to pull them down so they'll feel better by comparison you want to create an environment where people are confident and lift each other up I used to be very very insecure and I don't say this proudly but maybe you'll benefit from it I used to be insanely jealous of my wife in 45 years of marriage not one single time does she ever give me reason to be jealous not once problem one with her was with me if we went to a cocktail party and she'd be talking to another man it'd always be better looking better built more intelligent I think why wouldn't she rather be with him than with being because of my insecurities I would criticize my wife trying to pull her self-confidence down there should reach a level where she would think she was lucky to have me see that's what insecure people do that's what people flounder that's what people jump from one fad to the other that don't really have a plan of how you handle people how you deal with people how you get the most out of people and every time you're not getting a lot out it's because everybody's pulling each other down how did we turn it around three rules I only have three rules for my children three rules for myself three rules for a football team there are three rules and they're simple rule number one is what I call do right do what's right and avoid what's wrong if you have a doubt get out the Bible I can tell you what I think's right I think it's right to be honest right to be on time right to be loyal I think it's wrong to practice racism sexism spousal abuse I think it's wrong to feel guilty they're not an individual in this room myself included and um think wish you hadn't done them you can't go through life an albatraoz run your next day and I made a bad mistake all you can do say you're sorry make amends and move on don't do well on the mistakes happiness is nothing more than having a poor memory you can't remember what happened yes do you feel good today you also I think it's wrong to be better we've all had injustice is done you can't go through life being bitter about something that happened you know because when you're bitter you're negative how many times we see the person going oh being bitter about something I'm 20 years gonna pass away their spouse has to hire pallbearers just do the right thing second rule do everything the very best year building I am NOT going to allow you to be mediocre I coach for Woody Hayes I loved what the age I don't tolerate it I don't believe or condone everything you did but I tell you this and I learned from what he is if you're in a leadership role which you are you cannot worry about being popular if you're a parent you can't worry about whether they like you can't worry about whether your employees like you your obligation is making the very best they possibly can be if you're going to worry about being popular you're not going to want to have standards I had one standard one rule I want you to be the very best you possibly could in a classroom and on the football field period I just want you to do the very best you can what's the difference between athletes today and when I started coaching same difference I see in society today everybody wants to talk about their rights and their privileges and I got into coaching people talked about their obligations and their responsibilities and one of these old fashioned people believe you join a spout you bring a child work you go to work for somebody you join an organization you have obligation responsibilities you may want to fail that's fine you don't have the right cause other people to fail so I expect you to do everything to the very best your ability rule number three I expect you to show people you care genuinely reach out and show people clearly gentlemen you're smarter than I am you come up with a million different ways to show people you care in a den 'fb expensive I said I was a graduate assistant way back when when I started coaching one my obligations addition to coaching football with 15 hours a week I taught physical education to the physically handicapped children children with spinal bifida nothing from the waist down children and had cerebral palsy muscular rafi when I see people like that and then I see people with talent ability and opportunity and moan and complaining about something drives me crazy how lucky we are I want to congratulate the people when down for the express personnel service people were wiped out in Katrina I understand several of you on your own went down to help magnificent but you people have done with the Children's Miracle Network all the different things you have done to help people my wife as I said had cancer stage four and she goes up to the Mayo Clinic March 1st again she goes a couple times a year last time she went was a couple months ago and the tests started at seven o'clock in the morning so she had to go up the night before I go back to bed quite late there are my pillars a little note from my wife now here's a young lady is going up to find out if cancers in remission I can only imagine what must be going through her mind on the way up there and yet she was worried whether I was going to sleep well and told me what she had prepared for breakfast I said a little note didn't take her five minutes to write to it meant volumes one wave always looked at when I were at ten o'clock every night local time ten o'clock at night if I'm not at home I'm going to think about why she gonna think of me if at all possible when I would be gone an awful lot in recruiting we had four little children she made the children keep a diary I would come home I'd sit down with each child we go over that dollar I wonder what they did in school how they did in sports what was the how they do with their chores what was the most exciting thing that was most this point why is that important that they knew you cared that's all people I know dear care so those three rules do the right thing do the best you can show people you care why are those three rules important because you have to ask three questions about everybody to deal with the same three questions they're going to ask about you I know you're in several different countries I understand I don't care what country you're in these are the three universal questions every spouse asking each other every athlete the three questions everybody asked subconsciously question number one can I trust you can I trust you my wife and I are completely opposite my wife said opposites attract and then attack we are different but we've been married 45 years for one major reason beside the fact I love her dearly she can trust me explicitly nine trust her I would never betray the trust of my wife because once you lose that trust you can't get it back everything is based on trust all relationships based on trust how do you get trust both sides do the right thing South Carolina in my first year after we're gone on 11 on about June 12th I had two players arrested for drugs who had been on the proceeding team they weren't on that tape but two players on last year's team were selling for drugs I so mad and all the players were in summer school day eight at six o'clock I said I want a team meeting at 7 I was so mad I saw irate I wonder why they didn't trust me why didn't you trust me to tell me this why my rate nobody said hey they finally a sophomore get up and said I trust your coach he said I think the team trusts you I never forget he looked around the rooms there's a lot of my teammates I don't trust all of you lie and cheat and steal the problem of that football team they didn't trust each other why because they didn't do the right thing let him write up a piece of paper things they didn't like about themselves they couldn't change put an X in it Columba two things they didn't like bad cells are going to change column number three everything they regret they ever did wrong I said it be confidential gave him the next date or two o'clock took him out to the practice field South Carolina had a tradition whenever they want a big game on a road a pollutant stone they name opponents score what a very big graveyard er just cup almond we went out there at dug a hole I had a tombstone this big blank we dug a hole put every one of those papers in burned it covered up with dirt put the tombstone there for everybody to see every day they went to practice they knew from that time on they would never again lose a trust to their teammates six months later were nationally ranked Trust is so critical for my times rapidly running down but this let me say this do the right thing people can trust you the second question everybody asks are you committed excellence do you want to be good that's what you ask by your people they ask by you that's what the employers ask about you do you have all the slogans you want you send a message whether you're committed excellent by your commitment when ice coaching if I made a speech I went to a staff meeting I was better prepared any member of my staff and I had a great staff but why was that important because if I didn't say coach you have a good time at Oklahoma City just go to the banquet to dance to play golf that's why when I walked into a staff meeting they had to know that football was the most important thing on my mind even though I was traveling the question are your command excellence can only be answered if you do everything to the best of your ability the last question everybody want to ask do you care about me do you care about me because I run or throw do you genuinely care what happens to me if the person you send doesn't show up do you understand whatever my company if the person you said is not honest or I it's so simple you got to have people to genuinely care about each other you know Lane and gentlemen my time's up I think I have about a minute and a half to two minutes but I just want to say that if you do the right thing people can trust you if you do it to the best your ability they know you're committed excellent said if you show people you care that always ask for that you're any such thing as magic as I said that was one of my goals I'd like do simple trick for you not a real complicated trick it's like any other newspaper their front page people want to read news Jerome Bettis now the comics for people can't read and you always have the editorial page for people can't think but I always put those three questions on everybody every athlete twice a year and then sit down and talk to them I want you to take somebody you admire and respect somebody you love on your team I want to take somebody's got a problem with this could be in your personal life could be in your professional life could be in your social life put these three questions on both people yes or no can you trust them yes or no are they committed excellence yes or no do they care about you in the organization yes or no I guarantee the person you admire and respect you just said yes about all three questions first thing you've got a problem with you pinpointed the problem either you can't trust them they aren't committed or they don't care then magic and how you do it somebody said how do you do that perfectly I thought what is that if it I wake up no night screaming because I can't figure it out either but but Lane Jim did everybody come to the University of Notre Dame South Carolina Arkansas it said that you could trust we're committed care no but I would sit down with him and I expected to have a problem I say here's why I can't trust you because you aren't doing the right thing I don't want to have this conversation again or here's why I don't believe you're doing the best you can none of when I have this conversation everything was based on those three rules that was our core values that's what we believed in that's how we operate it not very complicated but that was our play lane John knows five things every time I followed the plan we had great success sometimes I'd Evie ate it from the plane and we'll plan and when I did it cost us there was a time at one time where we had built a great program then you want to keep people happy you start taking things for granted you start cutting slack you say well maybe I'm getting too old maybe I need to be hip-hop maybe I need to be politically correct nonsense do the right thing do the best you can show people you care I congratulate you on your success what you've done has really been amazing but I challenge you to do two things this beautiful environment number one congratulate yourself on what you've done been an entrepreneur is very very important because you're you are helping other people be successful and that's just like coaching and being a parent there is a greater feeling that help other people be successful they also challenge in this beautiful environment to tell yourself I'm going to get better in every phase of my life I'm going to be a dreamer because boy that's exciting I want to I'm so old now I don't even buy green bananas but I do dream thank you for

Channel: Nate Smith

Views: 265,429

Rating: 4.7797418 out of 5

Keywords: Lou Holtz (American Football Player), Leadership (Periodical Subject), talk, dicipline, leadership, franchising, Express Professional Services, Business, Coach, Success, Training, Coaching, football, greatness, Attraction, Development, secret, speaker, Lou Holtz (American Football Head Coach), Public Speaking (Literature Subject), Motivation, Inspiration, Life, Personal, Marketing

Id: 7k8oRjpaklg

Length: 60min 59sec (3659 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 04 2014