Sunday, August 3, 2014

4 Leadership Principles from Tim Howard


It has been almost two weeks since Germany was crowned the 2014 World Cup Soccer Champion. For me, one game stood out and has inspired me in life and business. 

Belgium vs USA

Tim Howard Leadership Principles


Tim Howard, American goal keeper, faced a never-ending Belgium onslaught for 120 minutes. Howard tallied an amazing 16 saves, the most in World Cup history. 


Even though the United States ended up losing the round of 16 match, Tim Howard quickly became a nation's hero. 


I could really tell that he was in the zone and that he really wanted to win. He was courageous and humble during the whole match. This attitude is crucial to succeed in life and business.


So how did he do it? How did Howard have the game of his life?


4 Leadership/Success Principles

Let me try to keep it simple and say that he applied a few success and leadership principles

1. Consistent Hard Work, Every Day


Nothing happens without hard work. The moments leading up to the zone or having the best game of your life, first start with learning and applying the principles of success. Not just for one day, but day in and day out, rain or snow. 

My favorite quote is, "To perform like a champion, you must practice like one." Consistent hard work focused on the right principles set Tim Howard up for his amazing world record game.

2. Lift Where You Stand


With 16 saves, I saw Tim Howard apply the principle of lift where you stand. This is a simple principle. Give it your all in the area you've been assigned. 

It's easy to point out how others are not doing it right or how they could be doing their job better. The lift where you stand principle was in full effect for Tim Howard. Each time it was his turn or in his area he made sure he lifted and lifted hard.

3. Quickly Align Team Members (Players)


Being a successful leader is helping every member of your team be positioned in the right area at the right time. Tim Howard did this awesome. I could see him quickly point and shout out positioning statements with his team. Once everyone was aligned in the right place, it gave Howard the right angles to be successful and save goals. 

4. Show by Example


This is simple. Be the person you say you are and show it by your actions. Tim posted this on his Twitter. 



As Howard entered the field, you could see that he was determined to win. During the game, he gave it his all. This translated into energy for other members of his team. Energy can make or break performance.

There you have it, the four success/leadership principles Tim Howard applied to have one of the best games of his life—world cup record  in goal keep saves.

It you liked this article you can also read:

4 Principles to Put Yourself in Position to Win

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