Why Sustainability Begins with Mentoring
Tony Dungy always had mindset of developing leaders, not just managing people. It wasn’t something he turned on and off. It was how he operated.
I saw it firsthand a week or two after I joined the Buccaneers.
Tony needed to hire a new defensive backs coach. Herm Edwards had just left to become the head coach of the New York Jets. There were plenty of NFL-experienced candidates available, but Tony wasn’t looking for the most polished résumé. He was looking for someone he could develop—someone with communication and teaching ability, someone with the humility to grow.
He found a young coach at the University of Cincinnati. No NFL coaching experience. A background built at smaller schools: William & Mary, then VMI, Memphis, and Arkansas State. Tony believed that with the right guidance and opportunity, this young coach could flourish.
That coach? Mike Tomlin.
It takes patience to mentor someone who’s still learning the league. It takes time. But Tony knew the investment would pay off—and it did. Tomlin would go on to become one of the most successful head coaches in NFL history. That’s the ripple effect of mentoring.
Too often, leaders get consumed with today’s tasks and miss one of their greatest responsibilities: helping someone else rise. Sustainable success—whether in business, education, sports, or the nonprofit world—depends on leaders who teach, empower, and invest.
When we mentor, we multiply wisdom, strengthen continuity, and build a culture where growth is expected, not accidental. And we model humility—because mentoring requires slowing down, listening, and caring.
Tony didn’t just build winning teams. He built people who could build winning teams.
So ask yourself this week: Who am I lifting? Who am I preparing? Who am I willing to invest in so that our mission outlasts me?
That’s leadership that endures.
Recent Comments