Bo Schembechler coached the University of Michigan Wolverines football team to 234 wins, 65 losses, and 8 ties while earning 13 Big Ten titles along the way. He was once asked what was his most valued achievement? His reply wasn’t in the form of trophies, but the positive impact he was able to have on the many athletes he coached who went on to be successful doctors, coaches, lawyers, CEO’s and even professional athletes. So what were the keys to the success of his leadership?

First, seek good mentors. Becoming great at what you do comes from learning from others that have achieved success in that field. Bo worked for legendary mentors such as Doyt Perry at Bowling Green, Ara Parseghian at Northwestern, and Woody Hayes at Ohio State. When making career choices, wait for the right opportunity. Make sure you aren’t choosing a job to just escape a bad situation, but moving toward the opportunity that is best for you.

Some leaders stay in the background when they take a new position, spending time observing others before they take action. Bo disagreed with this viewpoint. Bo believed you should “throw a bucket of cold water” on everyone by communicating your philosophy, standards, and expectations from day one. He warned not to take this same philosophy in dealing with the institution you are employed. Bo believe you need to respect the history of the institution which includes those that made contributions that made that institution thrive. In that history lies stories of creative efforts and innovations that will serve as the foundation of your efforts.

Great leaders and coaches communicate their values and ensure their actions reflect those values. Bo Schembechler’s included respect for others, honesty, the individual being responsible for their grades, keeping outsiders on the outside, and the team comes first because when times get tough your teammates are your support network. With values establish set goals. What leaders measure signals the importance of what needs to be achieved.

Great leaders build strong leadership or management teams around them. They spend time developing each of them to be great leaders through mentoring and empowerment. Bo believed this leadership team, his coaching staff, needed to focus on attracting athletes that were not just talented, but possessed character and a strong system of morals. He didn’t believe in the ‘star system’ where all efforts were around a few key players. Every player had a role and an important one at that. The strength of a leadership team was measured in how well you could increase and develop the skills of each player, not just a few.

Great leaders and great coaches have something in common, lessons to be taught to youth aspiring to achieve success today. Individuals need to establish a set of values they believe in and base their action on those values. They need to seize career opportunities that will help them develop their skills and that align with these values, not just the highest salary. Then they need to take the knowledge and experience they have acquired and invest in the development of others. When you follow these steps you will leave the legacy of leaders like Bo, a vast network of successful individuals that benefitted from your leadership.