We should seek guidance and advice more often. We shouldn't be afraid of feedback, and we should be humble enough to recognize where we can grow, both professionally and personally. Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken is self-aware and reached out to a former NFL head coach for advice.
Former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared a conversation he and Monken had before his first team meeting with the team, via The Rich Eisen Show:
"I didn't really know Todd well. I knew his work, but I had never really interacted with him. Funny story. So, he reaches out this past, I believe it was early March, and he was really curious about my first team meeting in 2017 in Buffalo. And that's not something I've ever been asked before as a head coach
in my nine seasons in Buffalo, or just a question that people are vulnerable enough to ask. We get asked questions about scheme and leadership and so on and so forth, but Todd reached out, and he wanted to know about my first team meeting. He had heard about it, and really how I connected the building and made sure everybody valued each and every department, not just the football departments, and it really just struck me, and this is not about me, it's about Todd. What struck me about it was how vulnerable one has to be to reach out to a peer about a question like a team meeting, especially when he just got his job, and he's about to go into his first team meeting with his new group."
We love to see coaches reaching out to other coaches, seeking guidance on how to navigate uncharted waters. Their conversation must've been very beneficial, as the Browns are 3-1 to begin the year and sit atop the AFC North.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Former Bills HC shares vulnerable question Todd Monken asked him
