Tag: winning streak

two things every winner should know

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I used to coach girls basketball for a small private high school when I lived in Chesapeake, VA.  It was an amazing experience!  That’s when I realized that I have the ability to motivate people and help them achieve things that they didn’t realize they could do.  I’m going to share two things I emphasized in teaching the will to win. First I taught them the following poem, written by Walter D Wintle.

If you think you’re beaten you are, If you think you dare not you don’t;

If you like to win but you think you can’t, It’s almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose you’re lost, For out in the world you’ll find

Success begins with a fellows will, It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed you are, You’ve got to think high to rise

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man

But soon or late, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can!

In addition to reciting this poem on a regular basis, I showed them the importance of outcome vs. process in creating the mindset for winning.

Outcome vs. Process

 There are two types of goals.  Outcome goals give you direction, such as winning or making a particular play.  Process goals include mastering the fundamentals and strategy to be competitive in basketball.

You dramatically increase your chances of making a basket by focusing on the process and letting the outcome take care of itself.  When you focus on the outcome, you open yourself up to the fear of missing or losing.  If you make a bad play or make a mistake, it is easier to become angry.

Fear and anger are negative emotions that adversely affect your brain’s chemistry and performance.  You will be more relaxed and efficient by focusing on instinctive execution, rather than thinking about scoring or winning.

While you may not be able to control the outcome, you can control your thoughts and actions to improve the process.  Success in mastering the process builds confidence and makes it easier to achieve your desired outcome.

These are the two things that every winner should understand as they take on the challenges of life.

Dr. Gary Banks

 

Three Characteristics From Winning Teams

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I was disappointed for the Heat when they lost to the Chicago Bulls to end the win streak at 27 consecutive games.  Winning streaks are exciting, but at some point they must end.  It takes a great team to sustain this kind of run.  The greatness of a team is found in the value the players recognize in their teammates.  The Miami Heat has demonstrated that they know what to expect from each other.  Members of great teams have learned to appreciate and even celebrate what the other brings to the table.  What are the characteristics of great teams?  There are several identifiable qualities that propel teams to success; today I’d like to consider three.

  1. Great Teams Have Great Role Players.  It is not practical for everyone to be a superstar.  Even the dream team of 1992 had role players.  Sometimes players play different roles in a given game.  But in order to have a great team there must be great supporting actors.  The role player makes up for the limitations of the so called “super stars.”  Team leaders and coaches depend on role players to make a winning team.  Batman has Robin, Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen and LeBron James has Dwayne Wade (more on this relationship below).  Often teams that have potential to be great fail because good players don’t want to be known as the sidekick. 
  2. Great teams have great leaders who know how to win.  There is no shortage of leaders in sports, business or any other arena in which teamwork is required.  Among the leaders of the world there are those who know how to win and those who don’t.  Vince Lombardi says, “winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.”  Winners are relentless, when everyone else thinks its over—winners keep pressing on.  They know what to do to turn things around.  During the streak opposing teams raised their game to be the ones to stop the Heat streak.  On more than one occasion during the streak the Heat was playing from behind.  Most notably, the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in which the Heat was down by 27, they pulled off the win in dramatic fashion.   Winners know what it takes to build a winning culture.  LeBron is the leader of the team, but he does not take all the credit for their winning ways—which brings me to my third and final point.
  3. LeBron may be the king, but Dwayne Wade is the king-maker.  Both LeBron and Wade had great careers before teaming up on the Miami Heat.  In Cleveland LeBron felt the pressure of carrying the team on his back, falling short in the NBA Finals.  He had some help but it proved to be less than adequate.  Dwayne Wade, on the other hand, experienced the benefit of a king maker.  Dwayne Wade had Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neil, both of whom are proven winners.  Wade learned from the best.  Riley knew how to put together a winning team and Shaq knew what it meant to make Wade the face and leader of the team.  In other words Shaq, three time NBA Finals Champion and MVP, in order to win a championship faded into the background, became a king maker and won his fourth championship.  Wade did for Lebron, what Shaq did for Wade.  Initially LeBron didn’t understand it.  While they had a great run in their first season together, they came up short in the NBA Finals.  Wade dropped his ego, willing gave up the rights the Miami Heat being “his team”, and became better than your normal sidekick—a winner in his own right.  LeBron is reaping the benefits of Wade’s wisdom and experience.  Dwayne Wade is reaping the benefits of being the king maker. 

The Heat may have come short of breaking the NBA winning streak record, but there is plenty of more winning on this great team.