New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula has a pretty famous last name. That's because his father is Don Shula, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
Being Don Shula's son has it's privileges. It doesn't just get you a free drink at a bar – but it gets you something much more valuable: advice.
Mike Shula shared some of the wisdom his father had given him over the years on coaching with Dan Duggan from The Athletic.
“Just worry about the things that you can control. Treat people like you want to be treated. Probably the other thing in the profession that we’re in, because it’s such an up and down profession, is it’s never as bad as you think and it’s never as good as you think. So just keep believing in yourself and surround yourself with good people and make sure you expect more out of yourself than you do anybody else.”
A lot of those might not seem like crazy things you'd only know if you were coaching. That being said, they're absolutely things every coach (and person in general) should know and apply.
Worrying about the things you can control is important. If you focus too much on things out of your hands, you're going to have an oversight in things you can control. Now all of a sudden you're the reason you have a problem.
Treat people like you want to be treated. That's something every kindergarten student is taught. It's something a lot of people forget, though. As a coach, you're going to need a lot of good relationships if you want to stay in the business; therefore this is clearly important.
Finally, it's never as bad as you think and it's never as good as you think. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with good people and expect more out of yourself than you do others.
Surrounding yourself with good people goes back to how important relationships are in coaching. No one man can do it all; there needs to be a team effort. However, you should always expect the absolute most out of yourself.
There's a reason Don Shula is one of the greatest coaches of all time. Mike Shula shared his wisdom with the world.
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