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Herm Edwards: Leadership On and Off The Field

By Lizz McCrindle

NSGA Communications and Social Media Manager

As a former NFL player and longtime head coach, Herm Edwards understands what it takes to be a leader on and off the field.

“As a team member, we have people that are interested, but you have to lead them on,” Edwards said at the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit in May. “It’s easy to be interested, it’s hard to be committed. Because commitment means this: basically, you don’t know what the score is, you don’t know what type of team you’re on yet because we haven’t had practice, but I’m committed to this team.”

Having team members who are committed to the overall mission is not only important in football, but it is also critical to running a successful business.

“Those are the people you want on your team; you want people committed to you,” added Edwards, who is in his fifth year as the head football coach at Arizona State University. Athletes, just like employees, can choose where they work or go to school. At the end of the day, Edwards says, “it is important to remember that you chose your profession, it didn’t choose you.” As a leader, Edwards shared one of his key philosophies, “KYP, it’s real simple … Know Your Personnel, know the people you employ, know the people on your team. That is up to you personally to know who those people are. You can’t take that for granted. You’ve got to know how they tick.” Intimately knowing your team is essential, Edwards explained, because these are the same people who are going to be making decisions. “You have to know their strengths, you have to know their weaknesses, because it is your job to make sure you put people in a position to have success,” Edwards said. “That is your number one job. If you don’t know the folks you’re dealing with every day, how are you going to do that?” One of the primary responsibilities of a leader, according to Edwards, is making sure to create an environment where people know what their role is.

“Know your role, do your job. It’s important, and it’s really hard for some people,” Edwards said. “This is what you’re supposed to do… it’s your role. Do your job.” Edwards emphasized it’s the leader’s job to take the time to ensure everyone knows what they are responsible for and how their role plays into the success of the team. “When you create an environment where people know what their role is, then you’ve got a chance,” he said. Edwards added that as a head football coach, you entrust your players, position coaches and coordinators to do their job by preparing for and executing different elements of the game plan. “The center, unless he has a bad snap … no one knows who the guy is,” Edwards said. “There are people in your organization who are the center, they are out there doing all the little things that you don’t have to do. Who’s your center? “Do you, just every once in a while, think about giving them a raise, or giving them a couple days off … or even just saying thank you? Thank you for what you mean to this organization and this team. It is amazing how far that can go, sometimes it goes further than money. Just doing the little things.” As the closing speaker at this year’s Conference, Edwards challenged the audience by saying, “Don’t lose sight of this: most professional guys are really good and they all think they’re good. But you have to ask yourself 10 years from now, did you make a difference?”