Regardless of where you are on your coaching journey, the off season that most of us now see firmly in our rearview mirror with the season upon us is a great time for personal and professional growth.
Mike Lombardi, the former general manager of the Cleveland Browns before becoming the right hand man for Bill Belichick in New England, joined VSiN for an interview and was asked how coaches get better beyond just watching film.
Lombardi's answer contained a choice that the best coaches in the profession make every off season, and that's to have a mindset focused on growth.
"I think they take the off season to be really objective about where they are," he shared, noting that Falcons head coach Dan Quinn took some time to visit West Point to learn about different leadership strategies and how he took over the defense.
"I think that if you're in a growth mindset, and you really realize that some things are difficult...you can't stand in front of your football team and say, 'We've got to get better fellas,' without saying 'I've got to get better. We all have to get better.'"
"I think you lose the audience if you personalize it just to the players. This is a group event. This is a team sport where the name on the front is more important than the name on the back. So you have to prove that you can do that and prove that you can get better."
"I think the great coaches are the ones that understand that and really do have a growth mindset."
Hear more from Lombardi below.