In short
Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals head coach) explains how consistent leadership, player relationships, and culture-building drove Cincinnati from 2-14 to a Super Bowl appearance, and how he plans to sustain results amid injuries and media pressure.
Guest backgrounds
Zac Taylor is Bengals head coach entering his eighth season. He previously worked with Sean McVay at the Los Angeles Rams, including McVay’s early Super Bowl run. Taylor also coached/played earlier as a quarterback and has coached Joe Burrow for seven years.
Key claims
Empowerment beats micromanagement; leaders must know players as people via 10–30 minute one-on-ones; “treat everyone fairly, not everyone equally” based on trust; culture is enforced through consistent standards (e.g., punctuality fines); belief comes from seeing a rebuild work (Rams example); notes after every practice drive incremental improvement.
Notable examples
Taylor’s neighborhood “draft” origins; Jamar Chase fined for being late and later enforcing the rule on a younger receiver; 2019 timeout misuse in Seattle; 2020 locker-room leadership shift; DeMar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest leading to canceling play; Burrow’s “always on” urgency.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOYouth Leadership and Early Experiences
0:39 to 1:57
Zac Taylor shares his childhood experiences organizing football games, highlighting early leadership skills.
“I tried to order a Cincinnati Bengals jersey, you know, and I think I'm one day late on it, but I do have the orange colors on today.”
Lessons from Eight Years as a Head Coach
1:57 to 3:06
Zac discusses his growth in managing people and empowering his coaching staff over eight seasons.
“You're a leader back then, you know, and I understand some of the terminology you use with the Bengals today actually traces back to back to those games you had in your neighborhood.”
Building Relationships with Players
3:06 to 4:23
Zac emphasizes the importance of understanding players' backgrounds to enhance coaching effectiveness.
“I think those are things that you just learn over time.”
The Philosophy of Fairness in Leadership
4:23 to 6:04
Zac explains how he treats players fairly but not equally to build respect and culture.
“Well, I think it just clarifies a lot of things oftentimes.”
Managing Confrontation and Accountability
6:04 to 7:58
Zac discusses handling player expectations and the importance of accountability within the team.
“It can be anywhere 10 to 30 minutes, you know, just depending on where the conversation takes.”
From Me to We: Cultivating Team Leadership
7:58 to 11:51
Zac shares insights on fostering a culture where players take ownership and lead each other.
“And I know you're like every good leader.”
Aligning with Management for Success
11:51 to 13:20
Zac describes the collaborative relationship with his GM and owner to build a successful team.
“And so we really pushed him and he took ownership of our locker room and became one of our best leaders over a seven-year period.”
Navigating Adversity as a Leader
13:20 to 14:00
Zac reflects on the challenges he faced during winless seasons and the importance of his response.
“We'd added the right people over a three-year period, and it really took off for us.”
Facing Adversity: A Coach's Journey
14:00 to 15:00
Zac Taylor shares the emotional challenges of leading a struggling team.
“that ultimately the people we bring into the building are people that we all believe in and we all have a strong vision for.”
Building a Winning Culture
15:00 to 17:00
Zac discusses the importance of maintaining positivity and vision in building a team.
“And then we went and got one more before the season ended and then we just felt all offseason and found a few more the next year.”
Show all 30 chapters
Lessons from the Super Bowl
17:00 to 17:40
Insights on preparation and sacrifices needed for success in high-stakes games.
“Well, I think just over the week of prep, and there's not a whole lot I would have done differently.”
Expectations and Pressures of Coaching
17:40 to 19:50
Zac opens up about the pressures of coaching in Cincinnati and how he handles media scrutiny.
“You haven't made the playoffs the last three seasons.”
Hiring the Right People
19:50 to 21:10
Zac shares his approach to assembling a coaching staff that aligns with his vision.
“I mean, leaders have more and more responsibility to get up in front of people and to deal with the media as they grow.”
Learning from Experience
21:10 to 22:30
Zac discusses the significance of note-taking and reflecting on past experiences to improve coaching.
“And one of the things that he did after every practice is that he took notes.”
The Importance of Authenticity
22:30 to 24:40
Zac emphasizes the value of being genuine as a leader while incorporating learnings from others.
“and it's going to be hard for me to remember 2027 training camp if I liked how we practiced one day and how I structured the practice and the reps we got.”
Coaching Exceptional Talent
24:40 to 26:40
Zac shares his strategies for leading and communicating with star players like Joe Burrow.
“that's going to start screaming at them one day and then be their best friend the next day.”
Building Team Chemistry
26:40 to 29:12
Zac concludes with insights on fostering team chemistry to enhance collective success.
“By trying to be as sincere as possible, as open as possible, really asking his feedback.”
The Importance of Transparency
29:12 to 30:06
Discover how transparency fosters trust within a coaching staff.
“It's a lot of competition that we do as a team, just trying to get the energy level up, trying to make them laugh a little bit before we go out to practice and get them in a good mood and then go compete.”
Crisis Leadership During a Tragedy
30:06 to 31:49
Hear Zach's perspective on managing a team during a crisis situation.
“And so I've got the trust of players and coaches that I think can give me that information to help me do my job better.”
Handling External Pressure
31:49 to 33:00
Understand how to deal with external pressures and distractions.
“You know, you look for the lemonade out of the lemon.”
Lightning Round Insights
33:00 to 35:01
Get quick insights into Zach Taylor's personality and coaching style.
“So I don't know that that had much to do with it.”
Balancing Work and Family
35:01 to 36:45
Learn how Zach Taylor manages the challenges of work-life balance.
“Besides your family and friends, what's your most prized possession?”
Adopting a Positive Attitude
36:45 to 38:09
Explore how maintaining a positive attitude influences leadership.
“What's your family taught you about leadership that football, frankly, never could?”
The Drive to Win a Super Bowl
38:09 to 40:06
Zach shares his motivation and aspirations to win a Super Bowl.
“You've already been to one Super Bowl and you obviously want to get back and win one.”
Lessons from Leadership
40:06 to 41:25
Zach discusses valuable leadership lessons learned throughout his career.
“I mean, we get to work and we get our job done.”
Wishing Success for Zac Taylor
42:03 to 43:14
David expresses his support and admiration for Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Bengals.
“And I hope that you do get to that Super Bowl someday and win.”
Passion and Focus in Leadership
43:14 to 44:49
Discussion on how Coach Taylor's passion for football translates into effective leadership.
“And he just called off the game because he just knew that, you know, everybody's mind was going to be somewhere else.”
The Importance of Knowing Your Team
44:49 to 46:30
Exploring how Coach Taylor's approach to understanding his players enhances team dynamics.
“They invented instant replay the first day.”
Attention to Detail in Coaching
46:30 to 48:23
Insights into how Coach Taylor uses attention to detail to improve team performance.
“They're not just a statistic that he can enhance.”
Key Takeaways from the Conversation
48:23 to 50:44
David summarizes the main lessons from the discussion about leadership and coaching.
“And, you know, you can really learn from from history.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00David Novak:Hello friends and welcome to another episode of How Leaders Lead with David Novak. Well, football season is back and there's no better way to kick it off than with our guest for today's episode. It's Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, Zac took over a 2-14 team and then led them to the Super Bowl just two years later. He's since become one of the longest tenured head coaches in the NFL. And in this episode, you're going to learn what's made him that way. Enjoy this conversation with David and Coach Taylor, and I will see you at the debrief.
0:39David Novak:Zach, I'm a little upset with myself. I tried to order a Cincinnati Bengals jersey, you know, and I think I'm one day late on it, but I do have the orange colors on today. Well, you'll be ready to go for September 13th in Tampa, so you can wear it then. And, you know, Zach, I had the great fortune to spend some time with you in Orlando at the NFL Accelerator event a few months ago. And, you know, I learned that when you were growing up and you're only eight years old, you organized football games with 30 kids in your neighborhood. And you actually had draft sheets and, you know, you put these teams together.
1:18David Novak:How in the world does an eight-year-old run a draft? Well, I was lucky. I lived on a cul-de-sac in Norman, Oklahoma with a ton of kids. A lot of them played football. A lot of them played high school, college football. I was also a bit of a liar back then. I would call a friend over to my house, and I'd say, hey, if you get over here, you're the 10th guy. We got 10 to play, and he'd show up, and he'd be the first guy. And I'd say, okay, now you got to help me call eight others to show up and play. So that was how I recruited the guys. Then when we got over there, we'd do a draft. You know, we'd line everybody up, old school, playground style.
1:50And hey, here's your two or four captains, and you got to pick your teams. Let's go play. But we did that with football, basketball, baseball. We did everything. I love it.
1:58David Novak:You're a leader back then, you know, and I understand some of the terminology you use with the Bengals today actually traces back to back to those games you had in your neighborhood. You know, what survived? I think it was Liddell Field all the way to the National Football League. There's a couple things. A signal we use in particular, my players don't even know, that that dates all the way back to Liddell Field back in the 90s. There's a couple terms that I've stopped using that people were annoyed by. I still use them sometimes in walkthroughs, not in real games, just to kind of annoy them a little bit.
2:34But there's things that we've been using for 30-plus years that I've carried over into different offenses I've been a part of over the last decade.
2:41David Novak:And you're not going to give up those trade secrets. I can't. I can't give up the words. That's top secret. And here you are now, Zach, you're entering your eighth season as a head coach of the Bengals. What are you better at today that you simply couldn't have understood in year one? Certainly managing people and empowering them and giving them opportunity to do things that maybe I tried to take on early in my tenure here. I think those are things that you just learn over time. They're not something you walk into the job in a new leadership role and you're able just to hit the ground running with them.
3:13A lot of the reasons you're hired is because you're supposed to be able to do all this stuff. But then over time, you hire staff. They understand how you want it done. And so it's hard to empower other people, I think, is something I've really learned over the last eight years.
3:25David Novak:What was it that convinced you that as the head coach, you needed to let go, you know, a lot of what needed to be done and not be the guy who micromanaged and tried to do it all himself? Well, to suffocate you, you know, and then eventually you're going to get assistants and people that work with you that want more opportunity. And they're here for two or three years, and they're not getting that opportunity to advance. And so if you hire smart people that you trust, there's a reason they're here, and we've got a great staff. You know, one of my favorite shows is Ted Lasso. And I was watching the second episode of the new season.
3:59David Novak:Ted goes in there, and he's got an assistant coach, and he's wanting to learn more about the players. He goes, what's their story? And he really wanted to get to know them as people. And I remember, you know, when we were in Orlando, you talked about, you know, you're really trying to get to know each of the players individually. And so that'll help you coach them better as you move into the year. You know, tell me a story about a player who might have helped you understand that was really important. Well, I think it just clarifies a lot of things oftentimes. Maybe you're using a coaching point that you just feel like hasn't gotten through to a player.
4:36And then you sit them down right here in this chair, one-on-one, and you learn about the background. You learn about maybe their relationship with their parents and some expectations that were a little sideways sometimes. And so then you realize, hey, my coaching style to get through to this player isn't, it's what was challenging for him his whole life. And so I got to figure out a different way to communicate with this player. And so those relationships, it's hard when you get 90 to get through that with all of them. But I've never regretted asking a player to come to my office, sitting down, learning about day one of their life all the way to now, and walked away like, man, I got much of such a better understanding of who this person is now.
5:10Let's say I'm a new player. I walk in your office. I mean, how would you get me to open up on that? Well, that's just, hey, I want to know everything there is to know about you. People love talking about themselves. You know, and I think that's everybody. And so just tell me your story, not tell me your story from college. Tell me your story from day one. Where are you from? Who's important to you in your life? Talk to me about what sports you played as a kid. What were the challenges you had as a kid? Did you play different positions? Did you move in middle school? What positions did you play in middle school?
5:38Who's a coach that you really named the coach that you had a good time playing for? Because we all got those guys in sixth, seventh, eighth grade that we still remember. Maybe we haven't said the name in 20 years, but as soon as somebody asks you the question, you remember. And so I think players really, they might not trust me at that point yet. They don't know me, but they enjoy telling those stories. And so it kind of helps bridge the gap a little bit in the relationship. And you certainly walk away feeling like you know I'm better. And how long does it take you to have a meeting like that?
6:04It can be anywhere 10 to 30 minutes, you know, just depending on where the conversation takes. Some guys aren't very talkative. Some guys, you know, you're just going to get the nuts and the bolts. And so, yeah, okay, I understand the last 24 years of your life, maybe they just don't love to talk and share too much, which is fine. And but it's time well spent, right?
6:19David Novak:It's something that you've learned is very valuable. You know, you had some you said something that I loved, which is you have a philosophy that you treat everybody fairly, but not everyone equally. Explain that. Well, there's times I've, I've, we've had some players here for six, seven, eight years, and I'm going to make sure I communicate with them maybe in a different way, maybe in an extra way to let them know some things that are maybe changing, coming forward with the schedule or an idea I've got that I want to get off of them. I'm not going to share that with all 90 guys, you know, not everybody's earned my trust that way necessarily, but there's certain guys that I want to make sure you're included in the plan and what we're about to do.
6:55And, um, and it helps you in the locker room too. When they understand when there's five or six guys that understand why you're doing something and you got 90 in the locker room, sometimes they can help facilitate, Hey, here's, here's the reason behind why we're, why we're doing it.
7:06David Novak:Tell me about a time when you might've gotten tested by one of your best players. I was, there's a lot of adversity you face in the game. And a lot of times your best, most talented players, maybe they want more involvement. They feel like they haven't been involved enough. And so there's going to be confrontation. And it's never personal. You're always coming from a place of, I want to win. And I want to help us win. And I can think of different teams I've been on where there's key moments in the season where one of your best players has, confrontation is maybe not the right word on the sideline, but been excited, excitable.
7:41And it's always, you look back like, yeah, they're probably right. They need to be more involved. You know, we're here because of them. and we need to find ways to do it. But our guys here have always done it in a very respectful way. It's never come from a talking down anybody or disrespectful standpoint. It's always just been out of want the team to be successful.
7:58David Novak:And I know you're like every good leader. You have your standards. And, you know, Jamar Chase, as I understand, when he was a rookie, you know, he came in like one minute late for a meeting and you find him. I mean, you know, what was that like? You know, you set rules. And some of those rules are very black and white. You know, if you're late, whether it's 30 seconds, a minute, 30 minutes, it's a fine for us. And so sometimes it's really helpful for me when our best players break that rule and I'm able to find them. Because then you're able to show the other 89 players on the roster like, hey, it's going to be the same for everybody in that regard.
8:35And so that's an easy one for me. I think the players all respect that and they toe the line that way.
8:41David Novak:Well, that was a teaching moment for Jamar. And as I understand it, when you set that example, you kind of set the example for the culture and help drive the culture. And he kind of helped you become a culture champion on that front, as I understand it. There's no question. I mean, there's, you know, a guy walks in, Jamar, I think probably walked in, maybe walked in 30 seconds late. And you're kind of, do I find him? Do I not? You do. And then a year later, you got a young receiver who does the same thing. And Jamar is the first one to him saying, you got to be here on time. He's going to find you.
9:10He fined me a year ago. And so it does help everybody build the culture that way. Was there ever a time you think he gave a star too much latitude and later wished you hadn't? Sometimes you've got such a strong relationship with some of those guys. There's going to be some give and take there because you're having a lot of conversations with them, maybe more so than most of the guys on the roster. So I can certainly think of some times where bargaining is maybe not the right word, but you're trying to come to a place of understanding because they've been here so long. and maybe treat them a little bit different than somebody who's only been here for a year or two.
9:41David Novak:You know, I want to spend some time on something that seems to be at the heart of how you lead. You know, after your first two seasons, you'd won just six games. And you went very, very public and you said, you know, I believe in what we're doing. Where did that belief come from? Probably from my time at the Rams. You know, I worked for Sean McVay for two years, his first two years there. The second year we went to the Super Bowl. And so I saw him build it really from scratch over a two-year period. A team that didn't have very high expectations our first year went to the Super Bowl in year two.
10:13So I had seen exactly what it looked like. I wasn't just talking, hoping that this is what it looks like. This is what I think it's supposed to look like. I knew what it looked like. And we had guys on staff that had been there and done it. And so, yeah, we had six wins to show for ourselves for the first two years. But we felt like a lot of the work we'd done over those two years was going to help us really take off. And it did in that 21-22 season. You know, if wins and losses aren't telling the whole story,
10:38David Novak:what are the signals that you look for to know that you're actually on the right track? Guys getting other guys in line. You know, when you start to get leadership in the locker room, who's grabbing guys, you know, by the shoulder and saying, this isn't how we do it. You know, you got to change the way you do it. You got to get in line. And so when it's not just me or the coaches doing that over and over, I saw that a lot in 2020. So that was my second season here. We were 4-11-1, but I saw a lot of the guys we were going to count on in the future start to take hold of the locker room and help change the culture.
11:09And so you knew better days were in store for us.
11:12David Novak:Yeah, so you basically went from me as a leader to we, where they're embracing what you're talking. What do you think is the key? If you had to pick one thing of going from me to we, what do you think it would be? Well, you've got to learn about the guys that you're going to ask that from, you know, that you're going to step into leadership roles. And in 2020, there were some guys that weren't entirely comfortable being in that role yet because of some other veterans in the room and just had to really push them. And I knew that if you would step forward and take some ownership here, guys respect you.
11:42You might not see it yet, but guys respect you. And I can remember a guy like Sam Hubbard. He was young in his career, defensive end for us. Didn't feel like he was there yet. Personally, he didn't, but I did. And so we really pushed him and he took ownership of our locker room and became one of our best leaders over a seven-year period.
11:59David Novak:When you got to Cincinnati, Marvin Lewis had been there before you, and he was really loved by the players, as I understand it. How did you go about changing things without telling them that the old way was wrong? I think the first thing is you say, we're going to do it differently. That doesn't mean the old way is wrong. We're just going to do it a different way. I've got as much respect for Marvin Lewis. He and I have a great relationship. He'll text me all the time before games, particularly divisional games. Good luck. So I respect the heck out of him. And so I think just expressing to our players, we're just going to do different.
12:34This doesn't mean the old way is bad. This is just a different way of doing it. And over time, guys buy into that new way and it starts to work for us.
12:41David Novak:And you've said that in that first year, maybe 30 of the 53 guys really believed in what you were doing. And eventually became 51 or 52. I don't know what the number is, but people really got on the bandwagon. And how did you figure out who was going to come along and who needed to go? Well, I think over time, over a two-year period, guys figured out you either get on board or you're not going to be here, you know, when that happens to a couple guys. And so we had identified a really good core in the locker room that we could trust and believe in and that we're good players and wanted to help others in the locker room, you know, come and help us too.
13:16So over time, you identify those guys and then you draft and you sign some free agents that you think their character fits what we're trying to build here. And so we got there in 2021. We'd added the right people over a three-year period, and it really took off for us. Speaking of the draft, you know, picking those players,
13:31David Novak:you know, how do you get aligned with your GM and owner? I mean, what's the process you use to just make sure everybody understands what you really need to get this team to the next level? It goes back to the relationship. We meet all the time, you know, with ownership and with our personnel and Duke Tobin, our GM. And so, again, it doesn't mean you have to agree on every player in the draft. You don't want that. You don't want everyone to see it exactly the same way. There's going to be times where we've got to nail down on a player. But because we've got such a strong relationship and we meet all the time and we talk through it, that ultimately the people we bring into the building are people that we all believe in and we all have a strong vision for.
14:09And so we're all trying to support to make sure they can be the best player for us possible.
14:13David Novak:You didn't win a game, I think, until December that first year that you were at the Bagels. Take me inside one of those wardings when you're driving down Columbia Parkway to the practice facility at 0 and 11. And what was that like? That's tough. It's misery stacked on misery. I can think specifically waking up on a Monday morning and you wake up in your bed after a loss and you think, surely this isn't happening. This is a nightmare. And you get in your car. And I know when I walk into the building, everyone's going to see how I respond to the adversity. and if I'm going to drag around and have a solemn face and show that it's wearing on me, then why would anybody else be different?
14:53And so you've got to pick your head up and you've got to lead and just keep working through it. And then that first win we got in December against the Jets was a great feeling. And then we went and got one more before the season ended and then we just felt all offseason and found a few more the next year.
15:07David Novak:Where did you find the energy it takes, Zach, to lift yourself up? Because it's easy to say, hey, oh, you know, I got to, I'm the face of the organization. If I'm not positive, everybody else, you know, how can I expect them to be? Do you have anything you do to like, to get you ready to go in the morning? I think I'm a positive person to begin with, generally speaking. And I like my job. I like coaching football. I like being around the staff and players. And so even though you're facing a lot of adversity and maybe that part's not fun, losing is not fun, it is fun being around and trying to build something special.
15:43And you do when you're at the bottom, because we were at the bottom. We had the first pick in the draft. We went to 14. We were at the bottom. And so you're trying to build this vision to be at the top. And I don't know that if we'd gone 9-8 my first season or 9-7 and then gone to the Super Bowl two years later, that would have been great. But to be at the very bottom and then go two years later, knowing all the hard work we put in and the sacrifice everybody made, that made it even though we lost, which was terrible. It was one of the most satisfying seasons of my life because of where we come from and the work that we put in and all the people that have been around us that supported us.
16:17What did that do to your conviction of just your method? I think when the players that had been here, particularly for two or three years, saw that, you know, they saw those difficult team meetings we had and all those difficult practices we had when we weren't winning. And then when year three, they see the results of it, they're completely bought in. And then they're really helping the younger guys understand it, too. And then you got veterans from other teams wanting to come be a part of it because they're hearing about it. And so, you know, we're obviously building to get back to that. We have great people in the locker room, but we want to experience that success again.
16:48David Novak:You did go to that Super Bowl. And like you said, it was a devastating loss. I mean, you know, you get there, but it's a tough way to end the season. What did you learn in that first Super Bowl that you just can't wait to put into use when you get back there? Because you will. Well, I think just over the week of prep, and there's not a whole lot I would have done differently. I've got notes that, you know, I'll look back on the next time we're there. But that week goes by fast. And, yeah, your family's there and your friends are there. And that's all great. But you just want to win the game. And so I think sacrificing whatever you get to sacrifice that week of prep to make sure you're all in and doing everything you can to win the game.
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17:23And I'm not saying we did anything I would change. But you just realize we haven't been back in six years now. And so you're there and you think you're going to be there every year. And here we are in 2026 fighting to get back again. And so just making sure you do everything you can, turn over every rock to make sure that you're doing everything you can to walk off that field with a win.
17:42David Novak:You haven't made the playoffs the last three seasons. And most people attribute to that fact. You've had some pretty, pretty tough injuries that really would take any team down. But it also puts a lot of pressure on you as a head coach, you know, especially when you've been to the Super Bowl and especially when you have such high standards yourself. But before we talk about the pressure, what do you believe about this team as you look towards 2026 and seven? You know, what do you think about this team that maybe other people outside the building might not see yet or could be discounting? I love the team.
18:18It's a really hungry group. It's guys that have been here and really earned their right to be on the field over their time here. it's some veterans that we've added in the offseason who know what it's like to win a championship and experience success and they want to come here and do it and help us do it and then we've drafted some guys that I think really fit into what we want to experience so I'm high on this team uh we got a lot of work to put in but we got the right people to do the things that we want to do now we just got to go there and do it and you know national media you
18:47David Novak:know you know they're the biggest critics of all they they talk about this being a make-or-break season for you and the Bengals. I mean, how does that impact your mindset? I mean, I got to tell you, I got a pretty thin skin when it comes to that kind of shit. I think I've got pretty thick skin when it comes to it, to be quite honest with you. I can ignore it. I know where to not look to be able to see it. I understand what the expectations are. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm in Cincinnati. It's a passionate city. These people expect success their whole week in the fall. is going to be dictated on how we did on Sunday.
19:23Their whole offseason is going to be dictated on how we did. And I love that responsibility. I understand the responsibility. And I want nothing more to experience success for this whole organization and all these fans.
19:34David Novak:Hello, friends. I hope you're loving this conversation. Be sure to stay tuned to the very end of the episode. As always, David and I are going to debrief some of the concepts that he talks about with this week's guest. So stay tuned to the very end, and I will see you soon. What have you learned about the best way to handle the media? I mean, leaders have more and more responsibility to get up in front of people and to deal with the media as they grow. Do you have any tricks of the trade that you'd recommend? They have a job to do. You know, first and foremost, they have a job to do. So me talking down to them or me and being dismissive, which, trust me, there's times I'm in a bad mood and they catch me with the wrong question and it's going to happen.
20:12But I do understand that they have a job to do. and especially our local media here, they're not out to get us. You know, they're respectful of me and they're going to be critical when they need to be critical, but they're not out to get us. And so I appreciate that and I try to give them my best.
20:27David Novak:Now, I got to tell you, Zach, I love the story that you told me about the coordinator you almost hired instead of the one you really wanted. Could you share that with us? Well, I think, you know, there's a lot of times there's a lot of good people out there. And I'm fortunate when I came here and kind of laid out, you know, who I want to hire for the job. And then they hired me and they gave me the job. And, okay, let's go try to hire these people. I remember Duke Tolman telling me, like, hey, the people you believe in, go hire those people. You know, you don't have to hire someone just because you think it looks good.
20:56And go hire the people that you believe in that are going to help you do your job. And so fortunately, I was able to do that. And those guys were all a big part of us having success.
21:05David Novak:You know, I had an incredible opportunity years ago. And I got this opportunity to interview the legendary John Wood. And one of the things that he did after every practice is that he took notes. He literally wrote down what happened that day. And he told me that as he moved into the future, his practices changed. And he said they were very incremental changes when they did it. But when he looked back over the years, his practices, they changed dramatically and they were so much better. And then I learned that you do the same thing that John Wooden did. You've kept notes from virtually every practice you've had since 2013.
21:46Now, what compelled you to do that? It was the best way for me to learn. It stemmed from I was having to learn a new offense as a quarterback coach. And so the only way I could really learn it from the coordinator was to take really detailed notes. And I found myself reviewing them over and over again all the time. And so then it shifted. I moved to L.A. in 2017 with Sean and started really taking detailed notes on the culture he was building and how he was doing it and how he ran team meetings. And then when I came here to Cincinnati, it really just carried over. So, I mean, I've got – this is, you know, years of notes, and I do it after every training camp.
22:21And I oftentimes kind of say to the other coaches, I'm communicating to future Zach so he doesn't make the same mistakes that current Zach make. And, you know, so we're going through training camp right now, and it's going to be hard for me to remember 2027 training camp if I liked how we practiced one day and how I structured the practice and the reps we got. And so I'm going to have to make those notes, you know, after yesterday's practice so that I can look back and try to make it better for the year forthcoming. Give me an example of something you went back and found that actually changed the way how you're coaching today.
22:54Well, I think my first game in Seattle, 2019, we played in Seattle and I misused a timeout in the second half that I certainly wish I would have had later in the game. and it was over a play. I think we were in a third and 15 and we weren't going to convert it. I called a timeout and we threw a screen after the timeout. We still didn't convert and there I had burned a timeout, you know, in a red zone situation. And it was just a silly way to use it. And so I've got that. I still remember that note because I've looked back over that season many, many times of things that I don't want to forget.
23:25And so that's one that always stood out to me as well.
23:28David Novak:Now you've mentioned Sean McVay as a mentor of yours and you have such a great deal of respect for him as somebody that you've learned one heck of a lot from. If you had to pick one or two things that he did that every leader should really think about, what would they be? It's empowering people. I mean, it's coming to his staff and letting you know the value that you have for him and the job you're doing. And, you know, so I always respected that about Sean. He always had a ton of energy that everybody could feed off of. And he always made sure that you knew that he appreciated you. And I think in any walk of life, any career you've got, you always want to feel like you're valued and appreciated and the work you do doesn't go unnoticed.
24:10And I always felt like Sean was great at that.
24:12David Novak:I've seen so many leaders struggle to develop their own personality. Yet one thing I know about you and one thing I really admire about you is you're really authentic. You are the real deal. How do you mix in all the learnings you got from all the other leaders that you've worked with and coached with and still be Zach Taylor? It's just what I know. And I just, I want to be consistent for the players every day. I want every day they walk in the building, they're going to know what they're getting from me. It's not going to be some unpredictable personality that's going to start screaming at them one day and then be their best friend the next day.
24:47They know what they're going to expect from me every single day. And I'm going to lay out the expectations and the standards and what we need to achieve. But my personality is not going to be a roller coaster every day for them. And I think I got to do that for the staff. I got to do that for the organization. I got to do that for the players. I do that for my family. And that's just, I had a great example in my dad. That's how my dad was. And so I think I just really followed suit off of that. Do you remember that first coach who really believed in you, maybe even before you believed in yourself?
25:15Two examples come to mind. I was a junior in high school and I'd won the starting quarterback job. And I think I had a two game stretch where I wasn't playing very good. And I thought maybe I'm going to get benched. And I remember my high school coach, Butch Peters telling me, we are absolutely not considering benching you. We're going to do everything we can to give you the confidence to be a better player and to help you around you. And so I just remember thinking that I kind of needed to hear that at that moment in my life as a young player and played better and got some scholarship opportunities.
25:45And then I go to a junior college. Fast forward, I went to Wake Forest and transferred out and went to a junior college. And I had an offensive coordinator named Aaron Flores, who's since passed away, unfortunately. but he took ownership for an interception. I threw an interception in the conference championship game and I came to the sidelines before the half and I'm mad at myself. And he took full responsibility for it. He said, I called it. It was a terrible play call. I should have known they were going to call that coverage. I put you in a bad spot. Forget it. That's on me. And comments like that maybe gave me confidence in myself.
26:16Okay, I'll put it behind me and I'll move forward. He took ownership for it. And so I still use some of those tools that some of those guys have given me today when you're talking to players and trying to help their confidence and trying to help them become a better person, better player. And those are two guys that really stuck out to me with good advice.
26:31David Novak:Not everybody gets to coach a superstar. So what have you learned from coaching such a tremendous talent like Joe Burrow? And how do you lead exceptional talent? By trying to be as sincere as possible, as open as possible, really asking his feedback. Why would you see? What do you like? What do you don't like? I think that I just try to be as open and honest and transparent with him as possible and try to get the most feedback out of him. And same with Jamar and same with T and same with a lot of the guys we got on defense. It's just trying to build that relationship where we can be open and honest.
27:07I want to hear things. I've been coaching Joe for seven years now. So it's not always the player coach dynamic. I want the feedback on things. Hey, what play calls do you think could help you more that I haven't given you in practice or given you in the game? I want that dialogue and that feedback. And same with Jamar, those guys you had around in a long time. And I think that's helped us be really successful in offense.
27:28David Novak:You've gone very public about your belief in Joe Burrow and basically said you wouldn't trade anybody in the world for him. What is it about him? What is his it factor that makes him so incredible? He's always on. I mean, when he steps foot on the practice field, it's the Super Bowl. It feels like he's preparing to play in the Super Bowl. And that could be an off-season practice. That could be training camp practice. that could be a game week practice. That could be a playoff week practice. He's going to be the same urgency level and everyone around him has got to meet that urgency. And so when one of the greatest players in the world is like that, it certainly raises everyone's urgency level and standard around you.
28:09And it's very important we have that from our starting quarterback and that's what we've got.
28:13David Novak:And you know, Zach, you obviously have this great relationship with him. You challenge each other and we just talked about how you take notes after every practice. you're obviously an active learner. What are you trying to get better at right now? Do you have something you're working on that you think will really take your game up a notch? I think just, I'm always trying to find ways to build the team chemistry. I think that's always the challenge because every year you've got a brand new team, brand new players. You always feel like, okay, we've got the talent. I feel like we've got good coaches that are going to provide scheme.
28:45So what's that extra element? With any good organization, any great team is the chemistry part of it. guys wanting to play for the guy next to them, you know, more so than they're trying to have the success for themselves. And so just constantly trying to build that and really push. I've had eight years of team meetings, eight years of getting in front of the team and giving a message that you don't want to get stale. So just trying to find new ways to get these guys excited for the day, get these guys excited for practice, get them believe in what we're trying to build together. It's a lot of competition that we do as a team, just trying to get the energy level up, trying to make them laugh a little bit before we go out to practice and get them in a good mood and then go compete.
29:22And so we're always looking for different ways to be able to do that.
29:25David Novak:One of the things that I've learned that leaders have a big challenge with is really getting the real skinny, you know, really getting the real truth from their people. You know, people are always intimidated by the power that you have, for example, the power of your position. How do you go about getting the truth from your organization? I think I've been transparent enough with our coaching staff to where they, I hope they do, you never fully know, to come tell me when something's messed up, when maybe I've steered us in a direction where I got to get us back, that you've got those core people that have been around you for a long time that'll tell you the truth.
29:58And I've certainly got those people. And it doesn't mean they throw other people under the bus. It's just more to keep me steered in the right direction to make sure we can have success as a team. And so I've got the trust of players and coaches that I think can give me that information to help me do my job better.
30:13David Novak:You went through firsthand what has to be one of the most horrifying experiences I've ever seen watching the NFL. And that's when DeMar Hamlin had his cardiac arrest. How did you react to that? And talk about what you did and what you were thinking during this time. Never been a part of it, you know, before. And so you're usually there's an injury on the field, never as severe as that. And you continue playing the game. That's what you know. And so it's hard to get your brain to think any differently. That's just, that's what I've known for 30 something years. And so you could see on Sean McDermott, the coach of Buffalo, that they were going to have a really hard time doing that to just let DeMar get in an ambulance and drive off the field and go play the game.
31:00That just didn't seem right. You could just feel that from Sean. You could feel that from their team. And, and he said that to me, you know, I feel like I need to be with DeMar and his family right now in the hospital. That's where I need to be. And so to me, that was as clear as day. Like we can't play this game and you're having those conversations with them and the officials. And it's like the stadium doesn't even exist. Like you don't even realize there's 67 ,000 people in the stadium and it was a Monday night game and people are watching TV. You're, you're really just focused in on the human aspect of things.
31:32And, um, you could tell just the expression on the Buffalo players' faces, how traumatic the experience it was to watch someone that they loved and played with and go through that moment. And so I think we came to the right conclusion with all the necessary people. And I'm fortunate to see DeMar playing in this day.
31:48David Novak:You know, Zach, you have such a great perspective. You round up on people. You know, you look for the lemonade out of the lemon. You know, but fans, we don't always have that kind of perspective a lot of times. And I mean, you got a little bit of a problem in Cincinnati just keeping your mayor under control. And I remember before that Kansas City playoff game a couple of years back, the mayor declared something like, got to play us day. He called Arrowhead, the chief stadium, Burrowhead, and said Joe Burrow should take a paternity test to make sure that he wasn't Patrick Mahomes' father because he owned him so much.
32:30David Novak:Joseph Lee Burrow, who's 3-0 against Mahomes, has been asked by officials to take a paternity test confirming whether or not he's his father. What was going on in your mind when all that trash talk was coming? I mean, we do our best to avoid the bulletin board material, and so there's some things that are beyond your control. You can't control what's going on, Asaja, and fans just trying to have fun with the situation. I'm not paying too much attention to those moments. They certainly had the last laugh that weekend. So I don't know that that had much to do with it. But we do our best just to focus on what we can control and not worry about what's going on around us.
33:10How about this beautiful trophy?
33:13David Novak:Huh? Hey, I got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor. Know your role and shut your mouth. I don't know if the mayor is still there or not. Did he get reelected or has he had to run again or what? Yeah, he's still going strong. You know, I have to tell you, this has been so much fun. And I want to have some more with my lightning round of questions. Are you ready for this? I'm ready. What three words would your players use to describe you? Consistent, understanding, thoughtful. What's one word your family would use that your players probably wouldn't? Funny is what comes to word, but I don't know if that's the right.
33:53Dad funny. is more the better way to put it that my players maybe don't see.
33:57David Novak:If you could be one person for a day beside yourself, who would it be? I think I'd own a team, not a football team. Just own another sports team. Your biggest pet peeve? People that create problems. Who would play you in a movie? Coach Taylor, I think, from Friday Night Lights. I'd let him continue as Coach Taylor. What's a habit you've had that's been instrumental to the success you've had? taking notes. And that's, that's been helpful for me. One thing about Joe Burrow that people would be surprised to know. How genuine he is, how true he is. He's, he's comfortable his own skin. On average, how many times per season do you say who day?
34:37A lot. Let's go with, let's go with 500. The one thing you do just for you. Play golf twice a summer. I go to Vegas. I'll say this. I go to Vegas once a year. I got a group of about 20 friends. We go to Vegas once a year, every March, April. And I would say that's just for me. That's for me to go play craps for three days. Now be honest, Zach, do you come home a winner? I have come home a winner. I don't always come home a winner. Besides your family and friends, what's your most prized possession? I'd say I'm looking right now at a conference championship t-shirt and hat. You know, the t-shirt and hat division.
35:16It takes you back to some great memories when you win those as a team, whether it's the division or the conference. They're sitting right in front of me. It's a constant reminder of that's what we're striving for. If I turned on the radio in your car, what would I hear? Country music or right now, college football talk radio. What's one of your daily rituals, something that you never, ever miss? I spend a lot of time with my family. I mean, I think every moment I'm outside the office, I'm going to be with my kids and my wife. What's something about you few people would know? For a coffee first thing in the morning, no chance.
35:47David Novak:All right. Fantastic, Zach. We're out of the lightning round. Just a few more questions and I'll let you go. Your family's been with you every step of the way. They lived every high and every low in this job. And how do you keep the scoreboard from walking through the front door with you after a game? You know, when you've had that loss. Yeah, it's really challenging. I think that I felt that for my kids when I walked through the front door. they're worried after a loss, what's his reaction going to be. And so I'm good about putting on a smile on my face and trying to change the topic quickly and show them that I'm going to be dad.
36:24You know, you don't have to worry about that. But shielding them from the rest of the world after a loss is challenging. And so, but it's good. It develops a lot of personality traits and skills that are going to be important for them to be successful in life, that you're going to have to deal with some hard times and some criticism. And so that part, I enjoy helping them through that walk. What's your family taught you about leadership that football, frankly, never could? Everybody's different. Everybody in my family is different, you know, and they all respond to different things and they all have different passions.
36:56And so again, you're not always having the same conversation with everybody. Sometimes you got to change the tone and find a different message. And I think leading a football team is no different.
37:06David Novak:You know, when I think about it, You know, one of the things that I've noticed in this conversation is that you have a real capability or ability to flip the script. You know, things that could be negative, you turn into a positive. The media can be tough, but you say, hey, they've got a job to do. Your kids have to put up with a lot of the conversations that they hear at school and on social media about last week's game. But you say that's good for them. It toughens them up. Where did you pick up this skill of flipping the script and being the person who just looks at the sunny side? It doesn't do me any good to be negative.
37:47I figured that out early in my career. Some of my darkest days as a coach were when I came in with a bad attitude. I didn't like the circumstances, and that didn't do anything for me in a positive way. And so you can control your attitude. I know that's a silly coach speak, dad's whatever it is, but it's the truth. And that's what I try to manage every day when I come in the office. You've already been to one Super Bowl and you obviously want to get back and win one.
38:17David Novak:Is that how you see your unfinished business as a coach? I mean, I can't imagine living here not having a Super Bowl trophy. So that's what drives me every day. That's what I dream about every waking moment I have when I'm not at work and not with the family. I mean, that's what drives you. and I can't imagine not having that. And so that's the motivation. You got a story, Zach, about your upbringing that influenced your leadership the most? Backyard football. I think just, I grew up on a cul-de-sac where I believe five kids on my street was the starting quarterback at my high school. So you can see how competitive our street was.
38:55And you had to rally the kids from around the neighborhood and we competed every day in every single sport. I think I had the greatest childhood of anybody that walks this planet. I truly do. I think it's why you see a lot of kids that are on my street, are coaching college and pro sports or athletic directors at SEC schools. They're having success in all sorts of businesses because of we were outside playing, competing, arguing, resolving conflict, developing athletic skills. And we managed it ourselves. We didn't need the adults telling us how to do it. We figured it out. We invented instant replay.
39:36I think in 1995, we invented instant replay. We took a video camera. We stood in the end zone of Liddell Field. We filmed it. Then if there was a challenge, you challenged it, and we wouldn't watch the video camera. And then we made it a collective decision, the 15 of us standing there, of who won the challenge or not. So I really think that that helped me.
39:55David Novak:If you had to boil down one thing that you love about coaching the most, what would it be? Being around the players and coaches, I really, every day you get to walk in with guys that have very like-minded with you. And we're serious. I mean, we get to work and we get our job done. But it's also year-round guys you like being around and you can have some lighthearted moods. And so I enjoy coming in here every day. How do you think about culture? I mean, do you come up with five behaviors you want everybody to have? Or, I mean, what's your thinking about culture? I mean, how do you really make it happen in the Bengals organization?
40:33No, it's just that everybody's in it for the same purpose, to help us win, and no one's detracting from that. But I think it's important that we have a million different personalities. I think that's some guys survive here because we let them be themselves. And I'm not going to put them in a box and say you got to dress like this all the time and you got to act like this all the time. Sometimes you got to get a read on a guy that maybe that's been told to him in other places and it hasn't worked for him because they were so straight-laced with that. So I try to let guys within the confines of what's important for our culture and our team roles be themselves and let their personality shine through.
41:06And I feel like we've had some guys that we've gotten the most out of because we've allowed that to happen for them.
41:12David Novak:Last question. What's one piece of advice you give to anyone who wants to be a better leader? I feel like I learned the most when I wasn't in charge. I learned the most when I was a quality control or a GA working for other people and seeing how you're treated when your role is just as important as anybody else's. And so you learn a lot about people that way. And so then, you know, when I work my way up and I'm a head coach, I try to reflect back on times when I was the low man on the trolling pole and how people treated me and the work they gave me. And so I try to work through that with everybody that we've got on our staff.
41:51David Novak:Well, Zach, I got to tell you, I want to thank you so much for this conversation and for taking the time, especially as you're getting ready for the season. You know, I know how crunched you are, and I want to wish you all the best as you develop your team. And I hope that you do get to that Super Bowl someday and win. And if there's one guy who deserves it, it's you. You're one heck of a good guy, and, you know, I'm pulling for you. I know for a fact that I'd love working for a guy like you. I appreciate it, David. Thank you. This is a lot of fun.
42:34David Novak:Well, David, we both got our Cincinnati Bengal orange on, which is so appropriate for this conversation with Zach Taylor. What a guy. Yeah, he's just a really super, super individual. I mean, he's very authentic. He only knows how to be who he is. You know, he's a very human guy. You know, probably one of the most focused guys I've ever talked to. I mean, he's all football. But the thing that I really like about him, he has a way of putting things into perspective. And when did that become ever more evident than, you know, when, you know, DeMar had that, you know, cardiac arrest. And he just called off the game because he just knew that, you know, everybody's mind was going to be somewhere else.
43:21David Novak:But that's the kind of guy he is. He's focused, but at the root of it all, he's just a hell of a good guy and a great human being. Well, David, like we do at the end of every episode, I want to debrief some of the concepts that really stood out to me from this conversation with you and Coach Taylor. The first one is something that you just spoke to. The guy loves football and he is so focused on football, which obviously is his job. But what do you have to say about, you know, how that passion for what you do can translate to other leaders? Well, I think, you know, every leader that I know that's really successful loves what they do.
44:01David Novak:I mean, whether it's Warren Buffett, who just loved being in finance and said he tap dances to work every day or, you know, you pick the leader. I guarantee you they're going to tell you that they don't look at their job as a job. They look at it as almost like a hobby. It's just they get to go to work and do what they love. And the important thing about doing what you love is when you love something, you know, you don't feel like you're working and you want to get better at it. You know, so you want to learn and just keep raising the bar and get better and better. And that's very exciting. So loving what you do is almost like job one when it comes to making sure that you live a life that's fulfilled.
44:49David Novak:And just listen to this guy talk about his neighborhood kids that he played football with, how much he learned from them and how much he enjoyed it. They invented instant replay the first day. But he's into it. And I love it. I do too. I'm curious, just drilling down into that a little bit more, for people who might be really successful on the outside, but aren't in love with what they do, do you think that that's a disadvantage? I think it's a huge disadvantage. You might be good at what you do, but you're missing out on the joy of participating with something that you're really passionate about.
45:29David Novak:You know, I would hate to go through the motions of a job. you know I was very blessed that you know I I happened to you know fall in love with marketing very early on in my career and then I fell in love with leadership and I just kept growing and growing and worked on the things I needed to work on to get better as a leader but through it all you know I ended up doing working on the things that I was most passionate about which was people you know customers, you know, marketing, you know, that's what I loved. And, and that's why I think I was so happy at what I did. Yeah. And a big part of why I think you were so successful with the help of the team around you too.
46:09David Novak:Well, there's no question, but you know, the, the, the, the, the people around me made me look a heck of a lot better than I really was.
46:19David Novak:David, another thing that really stood out to me about this conversation was that coach Taylor takes the time to really get to know the people that he's coaching. They're not just a number. They're not just a statistic that he can enhance. I mean, he really deeply cares about their stories. I mean, he talked about sitting down with someone and asking him, you know, when's the first time you remember picking up a football? Say a little bit more about what leaders can learn from his just obsession with getting to know the real person. Yeah. His whole thing is like, tell me your story. He wants to know your story so he can know who you are, know what you're all about, and understand what really drives you, what really makes you tick.
47:01David Novak:And if somebody talks about their life and what they're into and why they're into it and what had a profound impact in their life, you kind of get a sense of what this individual is all about. And while you're learning, you're also saying to the other person that you care about. And he understands what What Dale Carnegie knew inherently, and Dale Carnegie was the best salesperson in the world, is that people love to talk about themselves. And, you know, getting people to talk about themselves opens them up. And it's such a great win-win. And during that process, he talked about himself as well.
47:37David Novak:I'm sure he told that neighborhood football story many, many times. I hope he did tell that story because it's such a good one. And throughout these conversations, when he's getting to know the players on his team, It's not just like they tell him their story and then he forgets about it. I mean, he actually really pays attention and shifts how he coaches these people based on their past, which brings me to the next real standout theme from this conversation, which was Zach's attention to detail. I mean, not only does he really care, but he is laser focused on all the little things it takes to get a team working in the right direction.
48:13David Novak:Explain a little bit about the importance of this attention to detail and how you saw that Zach really emphasizes this in his leadership. Yeah, I think he understands that, you know, the best way to learn is to is to really be an observer. And, you know, you can really learn from from history. and, you know, by recording every practice and then looking back at your journal and picking up the key learnings, it really prepares you for the future. And, you know, if you look at history, history is really good for two things, Kula. One, it is to learn from, you know, to learn what you did well, what worked, what didn't work.
48:55David Novak:It's also to inspire you what's possible. You know, I'm sure he's got a lot of learnings here that really led to touchdowns and great plays and wins. And I would love to read his journal about the Super Bowl that he lost. And I guarantee you that guy picked up a lot that he's going to take into that next Super Bowl that's going to help him be a winner. And I think every leader should really find some way to codify what they learn along the way. And, you know, there's nothing like writing things down. I think when you write things down, you have a tendency to remember them. Yeah, David, there's actually a lot of research about what happens to your brain when you actually write things down and how it improves your ability to recall things and to actually put those things into practice.
49:44David Novak:So I just love that about Zach Taylor. And it goes back to what we mentioned at the beginning, right? He is all football and just always tries to consume and remember all the little things that it takes to really win. And David, other than just getting excited about football season in general, what do you want people listening to this episode to walk away thinking about? To wrap this up, you know, I think there are three things that we've talked about that are important. One is there's nothing like being, there's nothing better than the power of focus and what comes from really loving what you do.
50:19David Novak:Number two, you know, really get to know your people, understand what their story is, and And that'll help you become a better coach and a better leader for them. And they're going to know you a heck of a lot better as well. And last but not least, you know, have attention to detail to what you do. And there's nothing like codifying your learnings all along the way so you don't forget them. And even in this world of the iPhone and iPad and all the technology that's out there, there's nothing like some pen and paper to just actually write it down so you can remember it if you still know how to write.
51:00David Novak:Hopefully everyone listening to this show remembers how to write. Well, David, thank you again for another excellent episode of How Leaders Lead. Thanks to Coach Taylor for taking some time to be on the show. And thank you, of course, to our listeners. Tune in next Thursday and we will see you soon.
51:21Thank you.
From the publisher
Imagine being Zac Taylor in 2019. He was 0-11 in his first season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He knew they were doing a lot of things right, but the results just weren’t coming.
Eventually, they did: just over two years later, Zac led his team to the Super Bowl.
But for a while, there was a big, painful gap. And you may be in a similar place right now – where you believe you’re on the right track, but the results aren’t showing up yet.
In this conversation, you’ll see what great leadership looks like in those seasons when you’re building, grinding, and learning – but not necessarily seeing results. It’s a powerful reminder of the power of consistency … and a fun way to get ready for another exciting year of NFL football!
This episode is for you if:
You’re in a season where progress feels invisible
You need solid advice on managing elite talent
You’re trying to connect more meaningfully with your team
You want to know what weirdly simple habit Zac attributes his success toTake your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources:
The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go
Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day
Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.




