Mustangs coach shares leadership lessons in new book
Randy Jackson finally did it.
For years, Grapevine’s head football coach always thought about putting his detailed thoughts into book form and illustrating how core values and leadership can transform a football program. Still, he waited.
Maybe the procrastination stemmed from time constraints, timing and a bit of reluctance. When the Mustangs finished their spring football season in May, Jackson made himself do it. It took about five weeks, 10 chapters and more than 200 pages. The football coach became an author.
Jackson, 49, pre-released “Culture Defeats Strategy: 7 Lessons on Leadership From a Texas High School Football Coach” in mid-July. The second release date of the paperback hasn’t been finalized. It likely could be sometime in November.
“I thought about doing it after our big year at Mesquite Poteet (12-3 in 2010) and figured it could be a good read on culture if my career continued to be OK,” Jackson said. “Once I found out how to publish it, I just sat down and wrote it.”
For Jackson or any aspiring writer, those first words and paragraphs can be both a rush and terrifying. The writer is filled with energy but can stress about finding the right way to say it.
Jackson used the first three chapters to set up the seven lessons. Then the lessons followed: Energy & Tempo, Compete, Toughness, Family & Appreciation, Discipline, Finish and Pay Day. Jackson blended in anecdotal stories.
When it came to writing the chapter on family, Jackson found no better example than Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder. Jackson visited Manhattan, Kansas, last year.
“It went well enough for me that I could find something that would help, and then I found something that would be better,” Jackson said. “When I was looking for something else about family, I found the story about the Band of Brothers in 1415 (when the outnumbered English defeated the French) that really fit into it.”
As he was sharing his knowledge and hoping to offer something to coaches in his industry, the journey also transitioned into an education. Research became an unexpected but welcomed byproduct. A simple passage about adding music to a practice just couldn’t stand alone. Jackson found data that supported the how and why it gives players energy.
In the meantime, Jackson needed an editor. He called on a former student, Cliff Gibson. The two first met when Jackson coached in Lone Oak. Gibson is now the sports information director at Dallas Bishop Lynch. Jackson said the first six chapters were a tough read and needed revisions.
“I could tell the deeper I got into the book, the more comfortable he was telling his story,” Gibson said. “The first part was choppy, but we worked on that. You could tell how passionate he was about this. I’m not surprised he’s done this because he’s done a lot of speaking engagements in his career.”
Jackson’s budget turned out to be pretty minimal. He didn’t need approval from Amazon. All Jackson had to do was upload the story into Amazon’s CreateSpace. Everything was soon approved and free. The tradeoff is that Amazon keeps a majority of the profits, Jackson said.
Of course, with the football season approaching, Jackson needed to beat the unwritten Aug. 1 deadline. That’s the date when football coaches go hard and deep into their season and don’t have much free time.
Through word of mouth, social media and his personal web site, Jackson had a better response than he anticipated.
“I really came into this thing hoping I could sell about 100 books,” Jackson said. “But we sold about 300. People talked positively about it.”
Jackson isn’t ready to turn in his whistle yet. He has Grapevine poised to have a successful 2016 season. However, a sequel will eventually follow.
“You don’t make money, but that’s not the point,” he said. “It’s a business card. It’s a neat byproduct that comes from this. I love mentoring people.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Mustangs coach shares leadership lessons in new book."