Although the first regular season game is still over a month away, the 2010 NFL season officially kicked off this past weekend when (almost) all of the league’s players reported to training camp. And as much as I love watching the games, I’d have to say that it’s the details of execution, discipline, and the element of teamwork that brings everything together on the field that makes the game of football special.

So what would an NFL training camp look like if you were the head coach? Essentially, apply your style of leadership and management of running your dairy to running an NFL training camp. Be honest… what would your football team be like?

Would you actually be at camp, coaching and working with your players and assistants for the majority of the day? Or, if you’re too busy attending to other important matters like making sure the stadium renovation was on schedule, cutting the grass on the game field, or attending League meetings; could you at least depend on a few top-notch assistants who are capable of leading a winning program in your absence?

And when you are at practice, what would you be busy doing? Would you spend most of your coaching time taking turns with the players, actually doing their drills… taking handoffs, kicking field goals, blocking on the sleds, and covering receivers? Or would you be observing and coaching your players to perform their positions better, complimenting them when they made good plays and re-running them when they faltered?

Speaking of plays, would you actually have an official team playbook for each position or would you just have your players do what they think would work well? And what if your receivers keep running routes that are different from what your quarterback is throwing, would you address the constant interceptions or simply hope that they’ll eventually fix the problem on their own?

And what about discipline? Keep in mind, much of your team consists of young, testosterone-driven men who have a tendency of being selfish and stubborn. If you catch them not participating in their position-specific drills, showing up late, screwing around, or fighting; do you have rules and consequences that everyone can expect you apply? And when it comes to teamwork, do you have a finger on the pulse of your team’s chemistry? More importantly, would you bother trying to improve your team’s dynamics if there’s little or no teamwork? Besides, shouldn’t they already know that everyone’s job is easier when they work together!?!

So you might be asking, “How does running a football team relate to running a dairy?” After all, it’s your cows that make you money, right? Yep, you’re right… your cows do make you money. But until your cows can feed, breed, clean, IV, prep, treat, and trim themselves with the same precision and consistency that your team can deliver; your people will always make your cows perform.  Sure, your cows might have incredible genetic potential. But what will happen to a cow’s awesome potential when you hand her over to employees who have insufficient herd knowledge, misguided dairy experience, and minimal supervision? Assuming she actually lives to see her third birthday, her potential will probably still end up in the lagoon!

Whether it’s as a result of their actions or a result of their decisions, your team makes your dairy what it is.  And as their head coach, you make your team. The question is, “Do you have the desire, the discipline, and the commitment necessary to lead a winning team?” If you don’t, don’t blame the players. Talk to their coach.