How Leaders Lead with David Novak

#307: Clark Lea, Head Football Coach, Vanderbilt – Belief is a practice

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Show Notes

We’ve all got big goals and dreams, both for ourselves and our people.

But often, there’s a gap between what we say we want and what we’re actually willing to do to get it.

Vanderbilt head football coach Clark Lea is obsessed with closing that gap. For him, the ultimate measure of your beliefs isn’t how you feel or what you say. It’s the actions you take. And that alignment is at the heart of the incredible turnaround he’s leading.

Under his leadership, Vanderbilt’s football program has gone from being the punching bags of the SEC to one of the NCAA’s most exciting teams, notching their first 10-win season in 2025.

This conversation gives you an inside look at what’s driving their success … and an inspiring reminder that your true beliefs show up in what you practice, not what you preach.

This episode is for you if:

You feel disconnected from your goals or your core values

You want to disrupt a culture that’s gotten used to losing

You’re feeling discouraged after a setback

You just love all things college football

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