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7 Tips for Success From Superbowl Champion Coach

Here are the 7 things every CEO can learn from Coach Coughlin:

  1. Get the most out of the talent you have: The great coaches in the NFL are the ones who are able to coax a performance from a player that exceeds his talent level. Just as Coughlin helped Victor Cruz grow from an unknown, undrafted wide receiver to become a pro Bowler, an effective CEO knows how to nurture talent, provide training, and reward performance.
  2. Run a strict meritocracy. Starting spots in NFL rosters are given to players who produce. As much as an employee has produced in the past, if he no longer gets the job done, he's out. David Tyree may have helped win one Super Bowl for the Giants, but he was long gone before this one.
  3. Encourage internal competition. Every football team has a depth chart. The starting quarterback knows there's a guy right behind him who would kill for his job. Every year there's a training camp and very few starting jobs are etched in stone. In the business world, effective leaders let their employees know that initiative will be noticed and rewarded. Promotions based on merit (not just seniority) provide incentive to every member of a team and keep everybody on their toes.
  4. Spend hours scouting the competition. The way to win in football is to know the strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of the opposition. Coughlin knew the Patriots had a weak secondary, so Eli Manning went out and completed his first 10 passes. In business, the CEO should be making a similar effort in researching the opposition. Where are they advertising? What are their best products? What are they doing on Twitter? Facebook?
  5. Give underdogs an opportunity to shine. Over the course of the 2011-12 season, Coach Coughlin made a point of giving younger players playing time. When injuries happened, these players were able to step in and get the job done because they had some NFL experience under their belts. You'll never know if your younger employees will be able to advance in their careers unless you give them the opportunity to take on real responsibility. Not everyone will succeed, but this creates an environment where every employee feels like a real part of the team.
  6. Plan your game meticulously. A great coach knows exactly how he wants his team to perform long before the team takes the field. He knows his team's strengths and plots out a strategy to defeat the competition. A smart CEO plans marketing campaigns, new product launches, and customer service with the same level of precision, leaving very little to chance.
  7. Get great at judging talent. In the NFL, a great draft can make or break a team. The Giants raised a lot of eyebrows when they selected the relatively obscure Jason Pierre Paul in the first round of the 2010 draft. Two Pro Bowl seasons later, nobody questions the pick. Similarly, a CEO can advance the company with a brilliant hire or set his/her company way back by making poor hires, especially at mid to senior-level positions.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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