Pressure is a constant companion for anyone chasing excellence on the field, in the office, or anywhere expectations run high. Whether it’s a scoreboard or a bottom line, performance is measured, critics weigh in, and the stakes can be brutally public.

In this episode of Purpose Under Pressure, host Bryan Lefelhoc, founder of Bryan Media Strategies, sits down with Coach Lee Owens, a sixteen time champion football coach at Ashland University, the University of Akron, The Ohio State Univeristy, Galion High School, Massilon and others along the way. They got together to talk about his new book, Spirit of a Team: Successful CEOs and Coaches Share Their Strategies for Achieving Excellence. 

Owens explains why he chose to write it after 45 years in coaching and how lessons from championship football connect directly to corporate leadership and everyday life.

Topics like how recruiting great people, cultivating culture, and maintaining integrity form the foundation of lasting excellence are shared, as well as stories of players and leaders who embodied those principles. 

The mark a true leader leaves behind is legacy. For Owens, that legacy lives not in trophies or records, but in the young men and women who grew, learned, and carried his lessons forward.

Purpose Under Pressure is brought to you in partnership with Sandler by the Ruby Group, serving sales professionals and sales organizations nationwide from their locations in Akron and Columbus, Ohio, in Capital Region, New York, and in Jacksonville, Florida

Key Takeaways:

-True excellence is more than achievement; it’s success with significance.

-Every organization needs a “Tom Brady”, a difference maker who sets the tone.

-The best leaders build culture before chasing results.

-Pressure reveals motivation: if you’re in it for money or recognition alone, it will eventually break you.

-Winning without integrity isn’t winning at all.

-Preparation and belief can narrow the gap between underdog and champion.

-Failure handled well builds resilience that success never could.

-Great teams—and great companies—operate like families built on trust and shared values.

-Legacy isn’t measured in stats, but in lives changed.

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Helpful Links:

Lee Owens: www.coachesplaybook.com

Spirit of a Team: Available on Amazon - https://a.co/d/foPlNbv

Sandler by the Ruby Group: https://go.sandler.com/therubygroup/

Bryan Lefelhoc, Owner, Bryan Media Strategies: https://www.bryanmediastrategies.com/