Top 5 Career Lessons to Learn from Lane Kiffin

Over the last few days, my fellow Tennessee fans and I have watched as our entire coaching staff runs off to sunny Southern California. It was only 14 short months ago that Tennessee pulled Kiffin out of Al Davis’ dumpster and gave him the opportunity to revitalize his career. A young career marked with the stability of a Madoff investment.

Don’t get me wrong… Tennessee fans were excited because Kiffin can certainly talk the talk. He talked about taking Tennessee to the top of the conference. He talked about beating Florida, our primary rival. He basically said everything Tennessee fans wanted to hear.

His actual results on the field were another story. We finished a shade over 500 and didn’t have any of the shocking wins he predicted. We made it to a bowl game, but we got our ass thoroughly handed to us.

So when the season was over, I figured Kiffin wouldn’t sleep in the off-season. He would be fired up to fulfill all of those big promises and finish what he started. I was wrong! Kiffin got what he considered a better offer and headed off to a new job for the second time in 14 months.

That’s when it hit me… Kiffin is just like a hot executive popping from company to company. That is, until he’s revealed for what he really is… an underperforming loud talker. He is a prime example of how NOT to manage your career. He has set himself up for failure. Sure, he’ll make big bucks for the next few years. However, if he doesn’t have huge success, he’s screwed. This is his final opportunity. He has completely painted himself into a corner. No one will take a chance on him if he fails at USC.

Contrast that to if he had stayed at Tennessee and worked to fulfill all of the big promises. He would have proven that he is more than a big talker, that he has the ability to build a program, and that he is loyal to those who give him an opportunity. Yes, it would have been a huge challenge to succeed in the difficult SEC. And yes, Knoxville is no Southern California. He may have given up a little in the short term, but the long-term reward would have been huge. Even if he fell short of some promises, he would have been given a chance to redeem himself.

Look at all of the great coaches today and throughout history. They all share some common characteristics that I don’t believe Lane Kiffin has or even understands. Now think about all of the great executives in history. The funny thing is that they share the same qualities (loyalty, leadership by example, realization that actions speak louder than words, unrelenting work ethic, not afraid to fail, etc.).

Top 5 Career Lessons to Learn from Lane Kiffin

1. Speak quietly and act loudly. Build your reputation by showing results. You’ll be remembered by what you do and not what you say… unless you say something really stupid.
2. If you talk loud…back it up. If your motivation style is in your face, be able to back it up with results. I’m a more vocal leader. I talk loud, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to back it up and get things done. I don’t ask people to do things I wouldn’t be willing to do myself.
3. Dedication and focus are huge assets to an organization. The ability to ignore distractions and stick with a goal is key to success in sports, business and life. If you’re constantly bouncing from company to company, you can’t establish goals and you certainly can’t achieve them.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail. If you run every time things get tough, you’re not going to get anywhere. Nothing worth doing is easy. You may fail, but you’ll learn something from your failure that you can grow from and apply in the future.
5. Loyalty pays off. Don’t ever underestimate the value of trust in sports, business or life. I’m not saying to turn away every offer that comes your way. I’m just saying that you should carefully weigh the short-term benefit against the long-term consequences.

GO VOLS!

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