The Attitude of a Winner

If you think you can or you think you can't; you are right.

— Henry Ford —

Attitude is everything,” is an often-used saying that I never grow tired of utilizing because it is absolute truth.  I love studying, observing, talking and writing about attitude.   Attitude trumps talent every day of the week.  

imageA few months ago I got a call from my brother informing me he was getting back into coaching.  Jim had been a very successful girls high school basketball coach in the 80’s and 90’s but retired in order to spend more time with his family.  I jokingly asked him if he had lost his mind.  Then I told him I was happy for him because I knew how much he loved to coach, but beyond that I was happy for the kids he was going to impact.

I went to Jim’s season opener and his kids had a tremendous comeback in beating a somewhat average team.  I marveled at the way they rallied in the end and had flashbacks to my brother’s teams from a few decades earlier.  Jim could always get more out of his teams than most of us thought possible.  His teams have never lacked for effort and the effort has always been amplified by a winning attitude he magically instills into each and every one of his players.

Today I know the most effective leaders do just that–they infuse an attitude in their team or organization which delivers results beyond what seems humanly possible.  I call it the attitude of a winner.

It’s been three months since my brother’s first win with his new team and as I type this blog I am bursting with pride as I am now able to call his team–“Champions.”image

The Covington Lady Buccs are now twenty-five games into the season with a record of 20 wins and 5 losses.  This past Saturday they won the Sectional Championship.  They beat a well-coached and talented team that has always been very rich in girls basketball tradition.  Jim’s Lady Buccs are not overly blessed with talent, speed or size, but they all have the attitude of a winner.

In years of watching Jim coach there are a lot of things he does well, but as I mentioned earlier, the one thing he does really well is he instills the attitude of a winner in every player who plays for him.  Here are my observations on how I believe he gets this done:

  1. Confidence of a Winner:  Jim always coaches to win.  He never coaches to not lose. There is a big difference between the two.  In essence his kids have the green light to play fearlessly even if it means they make a mistake or two.  This creates a powerful energy of confidence.  Watching this team grow in confidence as the season has progressed has been quite refreshing and energizing for spectators like me.
  2. Preparation of a Winner:  Coaching to win means the leader must be willing to go to great lengths to prepare his team mentally and physically for its opponent.  My brother will never be out prepared or out smarted as he couples his years of basketball wisdom with a focused work ethic.  This wise preparation and work ethic spills over into his players as his teams very rarely beat themselves because of mental mistakes or because they aren’t in shape.
  3. Heart of a Winner:  Last but not least, Jim’s teams are bound by a winning heart.  At the core of this winning heart is a love for the team and for each other.  I believe this is Jim’s magic potion.  The love begins at the top.  Jim loves his players and his players love him, even though there are probably times they don’t like him.  Great leaders love.  Weak leaders want to be liked.  My brother falls into the rare category of being a great leader…I would say that even if he wasn’t my brother.

So here is the magic formula:

A Winner’s Confidence + A Winner’s Preparation + A Winner’s Heart = The Attitude of a Winner.

None of this is rocket science.  Several hundred authors have written thousands of books about what it takes to be a winner.

I’ve read most of those books but none speak more clearer to me than the book my brother’s been writing with his coaching actions for years.

Thanks Jimmy!  It’s great to still be learning lessons from you at the age of 58.  Now go bring us home a District Championship and regardless of whether you do or not, you’ve created another dozen or so champions who will carry the attitude of a winner with them wherever they go.image

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com

Thanks to Ben Robinson at www.colorgreencreative.com for the photos!

 

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