Coach ,

Three seasons in, Sean Payton has the Denver Broncos back where organizations measure themselves — the playoffs.

No shortcuts.

No overnight turnaround.

Just a team that looks connected, prepared, and built to hold up late in the season.

That’s not a coincidence.

Payton’s third season didn’t arrive because of one play call, one hire, or one adjustment. It arrived because of decisions made long before the standings reflected them — decisions about environment, people, and how learning actually happens inside a program.

When you zoom out on Payton’s career — youth football to the NFL, assistant to head coach, rebuild to postseason — the pattern is consistent:

Championship culture isn’t installed.

It’s accumulated.

And it starts with the choices coaches make when nobody’s applauding yet.

#1 Our pedigree is developed by the decisions we make

He points out that many times young coaches are in a race to get a title and take the wrong opportunities. A title or a little more money is not nearly as important as being in a winning environment with people you can learn and grow with.

He shared how he went with Bill Parcells without knowing what his title would be or how much he would be paid. He just wanted to go because he understood the opportunity.

Coach Payton points out that those decisions and opportunities exist at every level. The opportunities to learn are invaluable, and for Payton those decisions paid off in his career.

#2 Be mindful of the impression we give

“Where our feet are is most important,” Payton noted. Don’t be the guy constantly on the phone looking for the next opportunity. Everyone is paying attention - when you do it better than anyone else, the opportunities will come.

When you can work under a winning successful coach it can pay off greatly down the road. He shares these ideas in this video (click on image for video).

Video: Pedigree

#3 In the race for knowledge, ask the right questions

Another aspect which provided plenty of insight was in a section which Coach Payton called “Growth.” He points out that all coaches, especially young ones are in a “race for knowledge,” and understanding how to get the most valuable coaching points on how to best do something really is the foundation of it.

He told a story of how as a young assistant at Miami of Ohio, he learned a key lesson from Dick LeBeau while he and other Miami staff members were visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers to learn run scheme. LeBeau came in and drew up a pressure and told him “If you haven’t seen this yet, you will.” Payton realized that the knowledge in the game is constantly growing and you have to stay on top of it.

This led Payton to understand that the profession is a race for knowledge, but there are some key questions to be asking in order to grow.

The main question he likes to ask is “What are you telling them?” For Payton it is about figuring out if there might be a way of telling players how to do their jobs. It is the task of streamlining the learning process and making it as efficient as possible.

In a world full of so much knowledge, The highest level of mastery is simplicity. only the expert knows what to ignore. Players are counting on the right answers. The effective coach will also learn what is unimportant.

The race for growth never stops. It is a furious race to get the ability to explain it best.  It is passed on by being in the right places with the right people. Payton makes the point that whether you are a novice coach or a veteran you need to be a sponge. 

The good coach is never afraid of finding a better way.

Always be growing!

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