Most people want to do good work. Some willingly sacrifice to achieve excellence. A very few become exceptional. What transforms good to excellent to exceptional?
Steven M.R. Covey examines trust. Leadership inspires trust. Character and competence point you in the right direction. Capabilities and results can prove disastrous (dictators, strongmen, tyrants) without integrity and positive intent. All the integrity and good intent in the world without work and skill accomplish nothing.
"Many people" seek shortcuts to fame and fortune. Most likely, that produces infamy and disrepute. Consider the story of Rosie Ruiz and the Boston Marathon. She finished first by skipping most of the course and ended up exposed as a fraud. Her false pretense to be great recalls Shakespeare's words, "This above all to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
How do the character dimensions (integrity and intent) translate into function (results)? Plenty of authors have examined the 'success growers', Daniel Coyle in The Talent Code, Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, Carol Dweck in Mindset. Included by Coyle is the dominance of technique, Gladwell shares "10,000 hours", and Dweck emphasizes a 'growth' mindset of challenges over a fixed mindset of innate ability. Indeed, "the magic is in the work."
Ultimately, excellence follows process. Warren Buffett succeeds at the intersection of "margin of safety" value, growth, and efficient capital deployment. Jack Clark leads Cal's rugby program based upon a "performance culture." Bill Walsh, architect of the 49ers had his "Standards of Performance." Bill Belichick, who has earned six NFL title rings has "The Patriot Way." Nick Saban has authored five NCAA Championships in football using "The Process." And John Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to ten basketball championships built around the "Pyramid of Success." Exceptional performance follows exceptional preparation leading to consistent execution.
The Japanese have a word for the improvement process: "kaizen".
We can improve. This is how. You matter. Let's do it together.
Cal Rugby coach Jack Clark believes that teams need "shared vocabulary", which is really about core values. His culture emphasizes accountability, competence, shared leadership, and commitment with a strong focus on building on "what went well."
What do I believe is most critical within our process?
1. Team first. "It's about us not me."
2. Practice, not games, lies at the root of improvement.
3. Model excellence and get the best staff you can.
4. Make practice hard so that games are easier.
5. Learn to apply and overcome pressure (constraints, numerical disadvantage).
6. Give and get feedback to provide challenges and clarity.
7. Make practice as competitive as possible.
8. Push tempo and condition within drills and scrimmages.
9. Share skills that will translate into daily activity ("Above the Line" behavior).
10. Create high expectations. Everyone should be on the honor roll.