Build a Winning Team By Jon Gordon "You win in the locker room first. Then you win on the field.” This is a message I’ll be sharing as I speak to the US Lacrosse Convention in Baltimore this coming Friday. It’s also a message I share with as many leaders as possible, although with a little different wording. I often say that “You win in the building first. Then you win in the market place.” Whether we’re talking sports, business, education, healthcare, etc. the key to success is to build a winning team first. Of course this seems obvious but with increasing pressure to reach certain targets and goals and a challenging economy it’s easy for leaders and their teams to become outward focused on numbers and outcomes rather than inward focused on building the right environment, culture, attitude and synergy. We must remember that it’s not the numbers that drive the people but the people and team that drive the numbers. The power comes from the inside and then it extends outward. Just as physical trainers will tell you that to build a strong body you must build your core, to build a strong organization you must build your core foundation-consisting of your people and team. Without a strong core you’ll have weak energy, weak performance and weak results. Now more than ever it’s time to energize your people, communicate with them, invite them "on the bus" and move them in the right direction with a shared vision, focus and purpose. Negativity and fear are knocking your people off balance. It’s time to regroup, refocus, reenergize and create a strong core. With a solid foundation and a winning team you create strength on the inside that can withstand the negativity, naysayers and adversity on the outside. I saw this happen first hand with Atlanta Falcons this year. Coach Mike Smith built a winning team by making the team culture, attitude and synergy his priority. I was honored that he had me speak to the team during training camp and used The Energy Bus (all the players and coaches read the book) as a tool to create the team's culture. I also see it in schools and businesses every week. Just this past week I was speaking to Express Dental, a company in Tampa, FL that has experienced 40% growth in 2008 and is already growing in 2009. Yes in this economy. I spoke to them last year and afterward they let their "energy vampires" off the bus, hired a bunch of new and positive people, relentlessly focused on their culture and built a winning team. They are enjoying the fruit because they have focused on the root. You can do the same. There are many recipes for building a winning team. The important thing is to implement one and make building a positive culture and a winning team your top priority.
Additional Articles: Staying Positive in a Negative Economy Get the Right People on the Bus How Much Is Negativity Costing You and Your Company? The Greatest Sales Strategy Ever All articles listed here: www.jongordon.com/articles.html
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