What It Takes to Be a Champion

Several of my friends were filled with excitement the past two weeks with the official kickoff of the 2022 collegiate football season.  T.G.I.F. Thank God It's Football (season).

I had the privilege of playing collegiate football at the highest level. That was a life-changing set of experiences that I will never forget, and helped to shape my thinking on a whole host of things, including leadership.

For the first few years of my collegiate career, there was a great deal of mediocrity and heartache and hardship.  Hard times, hard lessons.

The year was 1976...

As we sat in the bus outside the Houston Astrodome, we wondered what was next. The night before our last game against the University of Houston Cougars - the Southwest Conference co-champions - the head coach and his staff had all been fired effective after the game. We were 3-8, again. A dismal season.

What happened next is...

The board of trustees considered shutting down the football program, forever. FOREVER. A few years earlier they had reached the same conclusion about the basketball program.

But someone at these trustee meetings had a different idea. He convinced the board that having a successful athletic program would strengthen alumni engagement and bring with it greater alumni support that would ultimately strengthen the university financially.

Having played for three different head coaches, I noticed that each had a different style with differing expectations and strategies. Each a different culture.

Fast forward to 1983...

The team was that year's National Champion after defeating the odds-on favorite, the University of Nebraska, in the Orange Bowl Classic. From mediocrity to championship caliber in just seven years time. For the next two decades, the University of Miami had a phenomenal run as one of the nation's elite programs, The U.

As I progressed in my professional career post my days on the gridiron, I have reflected on those times; and I have always been curious about what it took for some teams (mine and others) to achieve greatness while others seemed stuck in lackluster mediocrity.

What I've learned.

From my own observations and life experiences there are some things that I have found are common and that define winning teams, whether on the playing field or in your offices and places of work.

There's no silver bullet, no one thing. Creating and leading a championship team in any sport or in any business is hard work, but boy, is it rewarding once you get there.

Good is the enemy of Great. - Jim Collins

Having the right talent is critical. I know that this is probably the #1 or #2 issue you are facing right now. Cyber security is right up there based on a recent McKinsey study and depending on who you talk to, these two are the biggest perceived issues/risks right now.

I'd like to say that success starts with talent. Talent is definitely extremely important, a very close second, but there is something that comes first.

It all starts with leadership from the top.

Trust is a must.

In my work with teams, a culture that does not engender trust is weak. I was just speaking with a senior leader the other day and the first thing he told me was that without trust, strategic initiatives are doomed to fail. He's right.

Without the ability to honestly speak with one another and face the current reality, there can be little success.

Without a vision for the future, what are you leading them to?

I was meeting with one of my mentors the other day when the topic of leadership came up. If you don't know where you want to take them, how can you be an effective leader?

One of the biggest differences between the previous coaches I had played for and the last one was his clear vision for what we could become and his steadfast commitment to it despite the naysayers.

Setting a clear vision drives everything.

Set your vision and identify your bold initiatives with clarity. Your reason for being in business should be the centerpiece of your vision.

Then get into action. Be consistent and disciplined but don’t be afraid to course correct when the data and/or your instincts tell you it’s time to do so.

Culture is defined by consistent behavior and actions, not words.

If you want a championship team you must expect to get and model championship behavior consistently.

What you recognize and reward sets the bar high. What you let slips defines your lowest common denominator and diminishes the organization's potential.

When you're down, get up quickly.

The next opportunity is coming your way. If you're vision is a national championship (metaphorically), don't let the setbacks take you off course from the long-term vision.

Make it okay to fail and learn from the mistakes. This requires a higher degree of emotional IQ by you as the leader and your leadership team. Create a culture that embodies psychological safety.

Some final thoughts...

Great leaders act out of what is best for the organization. They seek input in making important decisions. And they're able to separate their own personal desires (ego) from what matters most.

In a business world that is filled with greater and greater complexity and ambiguity, achieving clarity can seem elusive and the best interests of the company murky.

To overcome this, ground yourself and your team in your culture and the things that matter most, have clarity in your vision of the future and embrace open and honest communication to on the current realities successfully.

Until next time!