“College football coaches have a system for offense, defense and the kicking game; but how many have a system for leadership.” -Urban Meyer, former division one head football coach

If I have learned anything from over ten years in coaching, networking at clinics, and listening to the guests on USA Football’s Coach and Coordinator Podcast, it is that there are exceptional men coaching this great game. I have heard countless individuals state that the reason they are in the profession is to use their platform to teach character qualities that will transform young boys into men. Phenomenal! But how does one do that?

I believe one of the most common errors a coach can make is to simply expect the players under his/her supervision to naturally develop character as a result of playing the game and being a part of his/her program.

If you were to ask any good football coach, “How do you teach (enter any football skill here)?” he/she would most likely be able to point to a drill he/she uses in practice to develop that skill. However, if you were to ask a coach, “How do you teach (enter any character quality here)?” you may get a vague response.

The coach may say that he or she opens up practice with a character meeting or even provides a handout on the particular character quality. Even though well intended, I can assure you that assigning a character quality for the week and talking about it for five minutes on Monday does not truly teach character.

As John Wooden once said, “A good banker isn’t careless with pennies and a good leader isn’t sloppy with details.” Just like for offense, defense and special teams, a coach must have a detailed system for how he/she intends to develop character in those under his/her supervision.

There is an old saying, “If you get one thing from a coaching clinic it was worth your time”. This past year I traveled to West Point with the intention of learning more about the flexbone offense and 3–4 defense; however, my biggest takeaway came from director of player development, Lawerence Scott (Coach LoSco), who shared how Army strategically trains each cadet from his freshman (plea) through his senior year from a character development standpoint. I then took Coach LoSco’s model and adapted it for the high school student-athletes that I coach (see picture below).

Our program’s philosophy is to positively impact the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (LEAD). The goal of our player development system is to meet student-athletes where they are from a developmental standpoint and provide purposeful lessons that will: (a) guide players as they progress through our system and (b) truly teach character. An additional benefit is being able to provide a tangible resource to parents and administrators that dictates why playing football can be advantageous to the holistic development of a young person. Our hope is by focusing on one character trait each year (e.g., Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline), each student athlete who plays four years in our system will graduate as a LEADer and be better prepared for the next chapter of his/her lives.

Coach Nelson serves as a high school football coach who is pursuing his doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology. He has worked for division 1 athletic departments, professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.

His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!