Act Like Champions

Legendary football coach Bill Walsh gives us this gem: “Champions behave like champions before they’re champions. They have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.” 

It is exceedingly difficult to prioritize the idea of acting like a champion when you’re losing. With successive defeats, just about anything else is easier than behaving the way champions do. Everything in the universe seemingly conspires to prevent us from finding the strength and willpower to trust in a winning process and act accordingly.

To help teams find the determination required to rise upon defeat, the best leaders insist that team members behave like champions. They know the first step in behaving like a champion is to know what that mindset dictates and exactly what actions champions exemplify. The recipe differs, but leaders agree it comes down to the way team members speak to themselves, carry themselves (especially in public settings), project confidence in their mannerisms, and remain focused on the process they believe will lead them to success. When they look like champions, they think like champions. Not so hard, after all.