Bill Walsh

Notes and Quotes from One of the Greatest Coaches of All Time

By Anthony Hudson – Bahrain National Team

‘His mind for technical football was extraordinary, but beyond that was his ability to organize and manage his staff, players and everybody - to get the whole organization on exactly the same page. ON that page he set the standard for how he wanted things done, and his standard was simple: Perfection!'

Joe Montana

Bill Walsh: To succeed you must fail. ....often you crash and burn. This is part and parcel of pursuing achieving very ambitious goals. However, a resolute and resourceful leader understands that there are a multitude of means to increase the probability of success. And that what it comes down to, namely, intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing in a competitive environment. When you do that, the score will take care of itself. Pursuing your ambitions, especially those of any magnitude, can be grueling and hazardous, and produce agonizing failure along the way, but achieving those goals is among life's most gratifying and thrilling experiences. The ability to survive and overcome the former to attain the latter is a fundamental difference between winners and losers.

My Standard of Performance The ability to hell the people around me selfactualize their goals underlines the singe aspect of my abilities and the label that i value most - teacher. Do you know how to tell if you're doing the job? Of your up at 3am every night, taking into a tape recorder a d writing notes on scraps of paper, have a knot in your stomach and a rash on your skin, are lost sleep and long touch with your wife and family, have no appetite or sense of humor, and feel that everything might turn out wrong, then your probably dong the job. (this always gets a laugh, but a big one. They recognize there is a significant price to pay to be the best.) When the inevitable setback, loss, failure or defeat comes crashing down on you - losing a big sale, being passed over for a career-making promotion, even getting fired - allow yourself the 'grieving time', but then recognize the road to recovery and victory lies in having the strength to get up off the mat and start planning your next move. This is how you must think if you want to win. Otherwise you have lost.

My Five Dos for Getting Back Into the Game:

1. Do expect defeat. It's a given when the stakes are high and the competition are working ferociously to beat you. If you're surprised when it happens, you're dreaming; dreamers don't last long.

2. Do force yourself to stop looking backward and dwelling on the professional train wreck you have just been in. It's mental quicksand.

3. Do allow yourself appropriate recovery - grieving - time. You've been knocked senseless; give yourself a little time to recuperate. Keyword is 'little'. Don't let it drag on.

4. Do tell yourself, 'I'm going to fight stand and fight again.' with knowledge that often when things are at their worst you're closer than you can imagine to success.

5. Do begin planning for your next serious encounter. The smaller steps-plans-move you forward on the road to recovery. Focus on the fix.