What I Learned from Lou Holtz
Few people in the history of college sports have been more influential or had a bigger impact than legendary coach Lou Holtz. In a recent podcast, Brian shared how Coach Holtz has helped to shape his own success in business and in life. Here are some of the top takeaways:
The 3 Questions
Coach Holtz always said that people will have three questions uppermost in their mind when they’re deciding if they want to interact with or do business with you: ‘Can I trust you? Are you good at what you do? Do you care about me?’ Even with all of society’s technological advances, these three core questions are just as important today as they were decades ago, perhaps even more so. If you embody these principles in your work ethic, your interactions with customers and your relationships with others, you’re guaranteed to build a strong referral business that lasts the test of time.
WIN
The WIN philosophy is about What’s Important Now. Coach Holtz used this philosophy to turn teams around, but it can just as easily be applied to your business when you need to take definitive action or make a change. When you’re faced with a challenge – a recession or a downturn in the economy, for example – ask yourself, What’s Important Now? What is the immediate next step that you can take to make progress? Whether you want to win a game or win in business, you need to evaluate the past and focus on the future so that you know what to do in the present to move forward. WIN is a great way to give that sense of urgency, attention and focus.
You’re either growing or you’re dying
Through personal experience, Coach Holtz learned that when you achieve success in life, you can become reluctant to open yourself up to risk or criticism. Instead of focusing on growth, you start to focus on maintaining what you have and not jeopardizing the status quo. The problem is, just like in nature, in life, you’re either growing or you’re dying. If you get too comfortable where you are, you cut off opportunities for further growth, you stunt new ideas and you kill the excitement that motivated you to begin with. Unless you’re constantly striving to improve, you will die on the vine. Whether it’s your business, your relationships or your personal goals, you can’t become complacent and get stuck on being safe – you always have to ask yourself how you can make it better.
Coach Holtz once said, “Don’t go through life being a spectator. Be a participant – decide what you want to do.” If you want to learn more about Coach Holtz’s philosophies and how they impacted and improved Brian’s life and livelihood, tune in to “It’s a Good Life” today!
