Bill Walsh, legendary former football coach of the San Francisco 49ers passed away last week. I met him eight years ago at the airport in San Jose, California. He was sitting all alone and no one seemed to notice who he was. I had to look at him several times to reassure myself it was really Bill Walsh.

At the time, I was the vice president of sales working for a Silicon Valley software company. A year earlier, I had read his 550 page book titled Finding the Winning Edge. Now, I am not the type of person who will bother a stranger so it took some courage on my part to approach him. He seemed somewhat surprised when I introduced myself and told him that I really enjoyed his book. Then he asked what I did for a living and why I liked it. I told him I was in sales management. I explained that what made the book so interesting was how he drew upon history and the military strategy of generals such as George Patton and Erwin Rommel and then applied it to leadership.

While Finding the Winning Edge is an exhaustive description of his football philosophy intended for other football coaches, I think many of the concepts are very relevant to software CEO's today. In remembrance, I would like to share five of the book's most important principles about becoming a successful "head coach."

1. Put Things in Historical Perspective. The more you know and understand your past, the better your insights regarding the present and future. Many people erroneously think they have only one chance to succeed in their life's work, and if they miss that chance, they are doomed to failure. If you learn from past mistakes, you will be better able to take full advantage of the next opportunity when it presents itself.

2. Do What Comes Naturally. Be yourself. Throughout your career, you will have the opportunity to work and observe many others leaders. While it is important that you learn whatever you can from each one of them, you must recognize that you can't be any one of them.

3. Understand the Role of a Head Coach. Setting the standard for organizational performance begins with the expectations the head coach sets. It is crucial that you expect all individuals in the organization to possess the highest level of expertise in their particular area of responsibility, to continually refine their skills, and to be physically and intellectually committed to do whatever is necessary to make the team successful.

4. Develop A Successful Organizational Structure. It is important to keep in mind that no single "best" organization structure exists. A team should adopt a structure that not only enables it to maximize its objectives both in the short-run, and in the long-run, but also adapt to changing circumstances. Whatever the organizational structure, it is absolutely critical that at some point, there must be a single source of authority.

5. Stay the Course. One of the greatest challenges facing a head coach is the need to be able to react appropriately to changing circumstances. In other words, regardless of the situation, you must be able to make a well-considered decision. The keys to making the right decision under less-than-desirable circumstances are confidence, strong will, and preparation.

You must believe in yourself and your program. You must have intestinal fortitude and commitment to remain to your principles. And, you must be prepared to deal with the diverse array of challenging and adversarial experiences to which you are exposed.

As Bill Walsh and I shook hands and said our goodbyes, I told him that I planned to write a book someday. He was very gracious, encouraging, and wished me well. I have gone on to write three books since that day.

I am sure Bill Walsh influenced the lives of many coaches and players. However, as I look at his book on my bookshelf today, I have no doubt that it helped spark my interest in the application of history and military strategy to the field of enterprise sales. This would later serve as the foundation for my latest book titled Heavy Hitter Sales Wisdom: Proven Sales Warfare Strategies, Secrets of Persuasion, and Common-Sense Tips for Success. And for that, I am eternally grateful to Bill Walsh.


Steve W. Martin is the author of Heavy Hitter Sales Wisdom: Proven Sales Warfare Strategies, Secrets of Persuasion, and Common-Sense Tips for Success. He is also the author of The Real Story of Informix Software with Phil White, and Heavy Hitter Selling. Visit www.heavyhitterwisdom.com for more information.