The Lombardi Rules
By: Vince Lombardi Jr.
Presented By: Adrian Grant
Lombardi's Philosophy
Coaching
Philosophy
- "Winning is a habit..."
- "...is not a some time thing it's an all time thing"
- In addition to sports, his philosphy was applicable to business, life and everything in between, with powerful words encapsulating the fundamentals of success.
- Pg. 98 - Lambardi discusss how individual moments in a game truly determine a game's outcome. To achieve these victories each of the teams, from offense to defense and even special teams, must give 100%
- He explains how this can be broken down even further to a particular player's position, but overall "Success can't be built on the strong foundations...and large victories on small ones."
What Drove Lombardi?
- Lombardi's drive came from fufilling many assistant positions at different high schools.
- Being in this for such a period of time, made him despise and resent this. However, it allowed him to master many characteristics and styles of a great coach.
- Therefore, when he was finally giving the opportunity at the professional level, they knew his level of competence was something unmatched.
What Drove Him
Lombardi's Strengths
Strengths
- When he arrived at the Green Packers football organization, he made it clear and adamant what his position was; demanding his autonmy
- To create a winning team, he had to break the bad habits that he previously existed at the Packers and create a new culture that would serve the organization well.
- Strongly committed to his team but demanded the same commitment from them
- Kept all things simple
- He focused and concentrated on the whys.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes & Dislikes
Likes:
- His command style coaching; forceful, direct, and not afraid to take charge & make decisions.
- He was adament and persistent in his goals for the team
- Lombardi stuck to what he knew and his drive and consistency to the game was impeccable & inspiring.
Dislike:
- He at one point did not respect authority greater than him.
Inspiration/Mentor
- Although it wasn't specifically clear, Lombardi's inspiration came from the head coach at West Point, Red Blaik.
- According to him, Blaik lived and breathed football, and he was always looking for ways to improve his team's performance through watching countless hours of film and planning strategies.
- Because Lombardi invested so much time and dedication into the team, he inspired his players to reciprocate the same type of work ethic.