Bill Tierney, Head Coach, Men's Lacrosse, Denver U. Pioneers
In my chat with Bill Tierney, Hall of Fame lacrosse coach of the Denver Pioneers, he said “you can’t walk by a piece of paper without picking it up”. He talks about the little things that one does, the sacrifices one makes, having a sense of discipline.
Yet, when asked about his formula for success, Bill said “there isn’t one particular magic bullet”. Bill has a special way of sharing what led him on his career journey of coaching. It was interesting to listen to Bill reflect on what has been important to him.
For example he had a passion for sports growing up. He found coaches to be inspiring so much so it was a catalyst for his amazing career.
His accomplishments speak for themselves: Hall of Fame inductee, only lacrosse coach to win national championships at two different institutions: Princeton, 1992 and Denver, 2015. And the list goes on.
Listen to Bill talk about the importance of love, being humble, a team’s self-governance, adherence to team culture and pride. I was really struck by how Bill thinks about evaluating recruits. Skill of course, passion yes, but what rose to the top for me was how one acts, how he engages you i.e. looking you in the eye, and finally, a smile on his face.
The human side of great leaders like Bill tell you a lot about him and how he leads.
Remember, next time you see a piece of paper on the ground, pick it up.
