My book, WIN THE DAY, is all about how 12 Hall of Fame coaches built and sustained championship team cultures. It is filled with all their stories and the strategies they used and how to implement them. The book is the essence of my work, a seminal piece that guides me when connected with sports programs.
Over the past 30 years, I have had the honor of being an intimate part of 115 championship teams that drove and sustained success. For me, the road was rocky at times with moments of doubt but I never lost confidence in the teaching and implementation of those solid standards that I believed would create and sustain a great team, an extraordinary organization regardless of the scoreboard. These were teams where standards were high and fear was low.
Whether you know it or not, you have a team culture. Not being aware of this is to run the risk of leaving its proper development to chance. Notice what works and what doesn’t. Like coach Steve Kerr in the Foreword, ask yourself what you value most. What are the overt important values to you, personally, in your life? Narrow them down to the best four that represent you as a human being. What matters to you as a person? Then help your
team to live these values each day. (See section on Core Values). Your success depends on your observation of these inner values. Sustained success is intentional and begins with walking the talk. Connecting, setting standards, boundaries, values and direction help the athletes to be aligned – on the same page. Teams that win the day do so by connection, caring and executing their core values. When this happens, morale is high, commitment is strong, behaviors are congruent, integrity is demonstrated, goals are more easily attainable, connection is palpable, work ethic is solid, loyalty is apparent and enthusiasm, excitement, caring and inspiration are experienced. When a culture is solid and safe, everyone wins the day. When you win the day, adhering to the cultural champion process which dictates the way you live and compete, it positions everyone for positive outcomes and results. The essence of a good culture is in how it demonstrates connection which drives and sustains success. It is a daily process and controllable. It is the standard by which we set the tone that helps to win the day. It is the driving force that embodies a sense of toughness, courage, passion and attitude that helps rise above obstacles when they appear.
Whether winning a championship or not, every team that adopted the core values that I taught plus those they chose and developed, lived, played, practiced and competed like champions. This is the essence of WIN THE DAY. It was their culture; it was how they, the coaches, athletes and everyone involved with the program from top to bottom, did things together, connected to each other, that led them to believing they could do and be something other than ordinary...and they did and they were. In a phrase, the connection in their culture enabled them to win the day.
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