Coaches by their very definition are teachers. The great ones  - coaches and teachers that is - always seem to end up with a sphere of influence larger than they originally intended.

Take Charlie Weis  - the Coach of Notre Dame - and  Pete Carroll   - the Coach of USC for example. Some might suggest that the athletes they recruit and retain are indeed employees of their respective institutions because they have a direct impact on revenue. Never-the-less, because of the leadership of these two coaches and results they have delivered, do you think they will have any difficulty competing for (recruiting) the best and brightest high school football players in the country? No! Absolutely not! Both coaches have resurrected brands that were languishing.

The result is the best high school quarterbacks, linemen, running backs etc. send in their game tapes saying pick me, pick me! And with this deep pool of the best available athletes, Coach Weis and Coach Carroll can indeed choose from the best...which leads to more games won which leads to alumni feeling proud which leads to donations increasing which leads to endowments growing which leads to more scholarships and more department chairs being funded.

So how does this relate to employment branding you ask? Do you think the employment brands of Notre Dame and USC have benefited from the football field results delivered by these two coaches? You bet! Who doesn´t want to work in an environment where the spirits are soaring and the money is rolling in. Corporate and employment brands feed off themselves. These schools have arguably become the default choice for the best high school football athletes in the country. This is what employment brands should aspire to be, the default choice for their targeted audience. You want the best candidates saying "You know, I can´t go wrong by looking at A company first. I know they have a winning coach and a formula for success."

There is comfort in knowing that if you have a languishing brand or employment brand it can be resurrected.

Thanks Coach Weis ...Thanks Coach Carroll... lesson learned!