What Century 21 CEO Mike Miedler Learned From Clashing With His High School Football Coach

Mike Miedler’s approach to leading a team of realtors at Century 21 might have turned out very differently if not for a bandana he insisted on wearing at high school football practice. Miedler wore it to look cool, but his coach had a different focus—he was determined to instill toughness and discipline. 

“I had a coach who told us to tuck in our shirts and made sure all the small things were taken care of,” Miedler shared on the podcast. “When we got out onto that field, we were actually executing at a very high level. He was a strict coach.”

That same coach told Miedler to take off the bandana, warning that he would be benched if he kept wearing it during practices. But, like many young people testing limits, Miedler didn’t listen.

“I remember showing up on the bus for a JV game on a Thursday afternoon with my bandana on. My coach had some really choice words, and I, for whatever reason, didn’t listen to him and just kept the bandana on,” Miedler recalled. “I was removed from that game and wasn’t allowed to play in the varsity game that Saturday.”

That experience stuck with Miedler. He realized that his coach’s rules about small details were there for a reason. If you want to win big, you have to manage the small things. It’s a lesson Miedler has carried into his leadership at Century 21, one of the nation’s largest real estate firms.

In the podcast, Miedler shares additional insights about his journey to becoming CEO, including:

• How his early experiences at the bottom of the company hierarchy influences his approach to leadership

• Advice for young professionals about the importance of loyalty and how it can impact their career growth

• Why focusing on daily activities, not just end goals, is key to success in both IRONMAN preparation and business.

Despite the decades that have passed since high school, Miedler still reflects on the lesson he learned from his coach over that bandana.

“I think the lesson for me as a young individual is you can test leadership,” Miedler explained. “Yes, you can question things. But, at the end of the day, the leader is doing things for a reason. The team is big, and everyone needs to fall in line and follow those rules. Because if you’re not following the rules, it causes dissension among the team. It’s a lesson I remember even to this day.”