What Is Good, What Is Great?

Teams and organizations with a Championship DNA are always combating and preparing against complacency.

October 02, 2019

Understanding and transitioning from good to great, in sports, business, and life is essential in the process of looking beyond what is, into what can be and further into what should be.

Good players play good some of the time. Great players play great all the time. The level of competition is a clear and most vital indication. The bigger the game —the great players play great. They cannot be taken out of the game. Understanding the level of competition is the best way to understanding the difference between great and good. Great players work the hardest, never are satisfied, curious to improve, and are fueled with wanting to achieve. Great players always want to do more while good players feel they have done all they can do.

"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize." — Robert Hughes

CONTENTMENT IS THE ENEMY

Success can be like a martini. It can make everyone delusional in the belief that there is no reason to go the extra mile. That "We Got It" becomes the mantra as opposed to "We Have Earned Nothing." With championship-level teams and cultures, there is never a mention of the achievements, just a mention of what lies ahead. What can we do tomorrow, and how can we get better becomes the mission statement for the organization. There is always someone that is the driving force—that fights the instinct of contentment.

The definition of contentment is the acknowledgment and satisfaction of reaching capacity. The level of capacity reached may be sought after, expected, desired, or merely predetermined as the level in which contentment becomes acceptable. Teams and organizations with a Championship DNA are always combating and preparing against complacency.

THE POWER OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS

As leaders, we must improve the mental and physical toughness of our teams. To win, compete, and sustain success at a championship level, we must prove to be mentally tough—on and off the field of play.

"To wear a player down, everybody wants to play hard in the beginning of the game, it takes a long time to wear a player down, so you have to have a tremendous amount of mental toughness to be able to do that, to sustain it yourself." — Nick Saban

So what sets disciplined players, leaders and the greats apart:

1. The capacity to get past distractions.

2. The willingness to condition the mind and body for the task at hand.

3. The ability to keep your poise when those around you are losing theirs.

Boxer Joe Lipsey was a 17:1 underdog fighting Marvin "Marvelous" Hagler. Lipsey dominated him during the first three rounds before Hagler sent Lipsey to the hospital with a blow in the fourth. His trainer asked Lipsey, "Joe, what the expletive happened?" Joe responded by saying, "I gave him my best shot at the end of round three, and it didn't even faze him."

Marvin Hagler's mental toughness to take Joe Lipsey's best shot and the competitive spirit of not showing any fear made Lipsey crumble. So the next time when you're out on the court, the field, in the classroom or boardroom and are confronted with a challenge, how will you respond? When you rise from getting knocked down, what message will you be communicating to those you lead with your body language?

Always look to challenge the status quo. Understand small minds cannot comprehend big dreams. Dare to be exceptional. Dare to dream the impossible dream while doing something each day to go from good to great in your craft and leadership.

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