MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER ON LEADERSHIP

"The most successful teams that I've been around were those where the players drove the machine. I'm not talking about during the game. I'm talking about in the locker room, in the meeting room, and on the practice field.

Certain conditions were set. And they weren't set by the coaches as much as they were by the players themselves. There was a level of expectation in terms of preparation, effort, and so forth. If certain players fell short, the other guys were quick to say, "Get with it."

That direction is much more effective coming from another player than coming from a coach. Players get tired of listening to coaches. When the guy at the next locker verbally kicks a player in the butt, it makes an impression.

Once a team develops that kind of mind-set and each player knows that every other player has worked as hard, studied as hard, and trained as hard as he himself has leading up to a game, it is much easier to execute on the field. The trust factor is clearly defined.

A coach can scream and holler about teamwork, but the teams that really have it are the ones on which the players live it and demand it every day. It comes with mutual respect and internal leadership."

Quote is excerpted from the book, Game Plans for Success.