The making of a champion

Life truly is a journey. What seemed almost a lifetime ago I was surrounded by champions on a path that lead me to where I am now. I coached highly competitive athletes on both the national and international stage. Those are still some of my best memories, huddled over playbooks, traveling on team buses and shuttles. We designed perfect practices, perfect game plans and put the right players in the right spots. We did this for years, earning medals, awards and accolades but until I learned and understood what made a champion we mostly lost. I mean we lost a lot. We could plan all we want, and have the most beautifully executed plays but we needed champions. We kept losing until I learned how to build and create champions.

Anson Dorrance said it best "The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when nobody else is watching."

I realized it was the champion that read all the playbooks, continued to practice when everyone else left. I wanted to share the story of the making of a champion. There was this one athlete who was slower than everyone else in a 40 yard dash. In her combine she came in 2nd to last. Was always picked for squad 2 instead of squad 1. However she knew one thing, she knew that she was going to outwork everyone. She was the gym more than anyone else, more reps, more plyos, more court time after practice. Hit more balls and if there was ever an opportunity to practice with any team she'd be there. She drove an hour and half to practice everyday. Finished school assignments between practices, slept in the locker room when she needed to get there early or had to stay late.

No one with the exception of her parents and myself knew how hard she was working. I often asked her why she was so committed and her response was always the same, "I love this game and how it makes me feel." This athlete was a champion, this athlete, this lover of the game.

As leaders we need to help our teams find the reason why they do what they do. How can we help them find the love for the career that they chose? If you realize that your team members and employees aren't happy with the career choice they made what can you do to explore and help them move onto a career path that is more inline with who they are? Your team are your greatest business athletes and a handful of them have what it takes to be champions. I encourage you to use the skills and talents as a mentor and coach to listen, understand and help them find their champion mindset.

Remember that not every future champion is going to work long hours, sleep at their desks, and have the right answers you are looking for, but there is a champion in each of your employees. They are sometimes overlooked, sometimes overworked, sometimes overburdened but they are just waiting to help your company become winners.

• Be honest with the current evaluation of their performance and their work.
• Listen to what they have to say.
• Don't over promise or commit to ideas that are not planned and thoroughly fleshed out.
• Understand you are not above but you are part of the team.
• Realize that they won't care what you know until they know and you've proven that you care about them.
• Platitudes and compliments are welcomed but include examples and signs that you see what they are doing.

What about our hero in this story? She now plays professionally on the tour and enjoys traveling, and experiencing the game with other international athletes. Proud to watch her play because I know just how hard she's working for this opportunity.