You Win In The Locker Room First
By Jon Gordon & Mike Smith
A great read loaded with wisdom from an NFL Head Coach and a best selling author. Gordon and Smith outline 7 C’s to Building a winning team. All seven are applicable to whatever realm you are leading in today.
Below are my notes and key hi-lighted passages from You Win In The Locker Room First. (Italics = quotes from the book. Bold = my personal notes)
“To develop a strong culture on a team level, we started to evaluate players on their character and attitudes in addition to their football skills. Changes to the roster were not solely based on the players’ abilities on the field. We wanted team members who were going to positively represent the organization on and off the field.”
If character is not at the center of what your organization is looking for when selecting talent - regardless of what field or endeavor, it should be an alarming warning that things may head for destruction. Regardless of vision or execution, an organization must seek character.
“As a leader, it is important that your words equal your actions. It is imperative that you make sure that you got through a self-evaluation process on an almost daily basis to make sure that your actions are in line with your words. You must do what you say and say what you do.”
“The most overlooked aspect in team sports, and what most coaches and leaders fail to grasp, is the fact that it is your culture that will determine whether your strategy works and is sustainable. It is the culture that you create that is going to determine whether your players perform and execute.”
“As a leader, you are either broadcasting positive energy or negative energy, apathy or passion, indifference or purpose.”
“Make sure you have the right team members to strengthen your culture instead of people who suck the energy out of it. You can do everything right as a leader and coach, but if you don’t have positive mentors and team members in the locker room your culture and team will fall apart.”
If a team member is pulling the organization in the opposite direction, the value their talent potentially brings to the organization becomes irrelevant.
“One person can’t make a team but one person can break a team. To build a positively contagious team you must not only feed the positive with a positive vision, belief, and attitude but you must also weed the negative from your team. You must literally post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires Allowed” and tell your team that you will not allow negativity to sabotage the vision you have and the team you expect to become.”
“Each year the best recommit themselves to being better than they were the year before. The fact is, past success does not determine future success.”
The best at what they do, keep the flame going. They are able to stay hungry for more, despite past success. Continual improvement.
HUMBLE & HUNGRY
“Become the hardest working team you know.”
“Communication is the foundation of every great relationship. Communication builds trust. Trust generates commitment. Commitment fosters teamwork, and teamwork delivers results.”
A leader must develop the ability to communicate. Knowledge on the X’s & O’s is not enough. Communicating knowledge, and life-giving words is the new standard for leadership.
"The best communicator is not the person who is the most eloquent speaker, but the person who has the ability to listen, process the information, and use it to make decisions that are in the best interest of the team and organization. The best listeners truly hear what a person is saying and trying to convey.”
“The best teams that I have been around were teams that enjoyed being around each other. When you are a team that does not connect, you will be a team that fails to win.”
Perhaps the role of coach is more about creating an environment of trust and connection more than it is about teaching the fundamentals of the game.
“To be a great leader, coach, and team member you must be more than involved. You must be committed. A leader must do a self-evaluation to make sure that his or her level of commitment is greater than that of anyone else in the organization.”
“Commitment is something that you should spend more time demonstrating than talking about. It shows in your actions, in how you treat people, and how you interact with every member of your team.”
When a leader is attempting to grow the commitment level of the members of the organization. The first, and most dominant place to start is by looking in the mirror. Are you committed as the leader? If not, do not bother talking to the group about commitment.
“You can’t serve yourself and your team at the same time. You have to decide whether you are going to serve ME or WE.”
“It doesn’t matter how much success you have in your career; if you fail at home you are a failure. We only get one shot to be a parent and spouse, and we must give it everything we’ve got and commit to our “team” at home.”
“I believe to be a successful leader you have to have an ego that drives you to be great, but you must give up your ego and serve your team in order to be great.”
“If you want to win, you don’t focus on winning. You focus on the culture, people, and process that produce wins.”
“Relationships are the foundation upon which winning teams are built, and all great relationships are based on value, respect, love, trust and care.”
“After all, you can be the greatest coach on the planet, but if your team lacks character you will fail to reach your potential.”
Leaders must be consumed with the long term view of making people better. A leader must obsess over helping people better prepare for life’s personal and professional challenges
“When you lead with integrity you won’t always win, but you will always do the right thing. When leading your team, you have to ask yourself, “Am I building this team for the short run or the long run? Do I want immediate gratification or sustained success? Will I lead with integrity or violate my principles and compromise my ethics?”