WINNING SHOULD NEVER BE YOUR FOCUS! Yet, preparing to WIN is!

Winning should never be the focus... rather preparing and positioning should be your daily devotion. Once this becomes commonplace and culture heck, winning won't mind coming along for the ride.

I liken Winning to a wise woman...She can tell you've paid your dues. She can tell you've made provision and made practice important; she can tell that to you... everything matters and that's all winning cares about.

Winning will only accompany those who have done the work; been battle tested; resisted temptations of self doubt and quit; been pushed to exhaustion and on the brink of both heartbreak and heartache with a little anxiety mixed with obsession; let's not forget the little soup cup of blood, sweat and tears on the side.

The toil that she witnesses you go through makes her admire you; it moves her to move toward you... fancy you even. She might smile your way or even send you a wink ??.

But don't get it twisted... winning isn't like any of the others!

She doesn't care about your feelings. She doesn't care about your lip service. She cares only about your service... "What have you done for me lately," she asks???

She is royalty and she owes owes you Nothing!

Winning owes you nothing!

Winning OWES YOU NOTHING...but LOSING wants to give you all of her!

The truth is... in order to woo Winning, it takes what it takes and then some! And, guess what...? Some nights, even that's not enough. That's why everything matters! My time at LSU was nothing short of amazing! It taught me how to WIN! It taught me that coming early and staying late matters. It taught me that watching film and getting feedback matters. It taught me why the data matters. It taught me why having a team matters. It taught me why being a phenomenal leader; a passionate leader; a loving and caring leader matters. LSU football taught me why culture matters.

Winning doesn't care about your last name; team names or your donors! Winning doesn't care nothing about your legacy! Winning doesn't care about your drip! And yes, I'm a fan of what Coach Prime says, "Look good...Feel good...Do good and they'll Pay good!" But I know a whole bunch of teams that we smacked up looking clean AF but hadn't paid the price of preparation and positioning!

Winning cares about only the things that make winning exceptional; elite; phenomenal and legendary! Winning has a price and she only cares that it's paid in full with an advance!

Do not think that it's only in "The Crucial Moments" that she'll come and watch you... she's been watching you since the first day of camp! She's been watching you since the end of last year! She's been watching you all off season! She's been watching you every workout of every sprint, every set and every rep! She's been watching your character! She's been watching you with your family and your friends! She's been watching you with your colleagues! She's been watching you when no one else has been watching you!

WINNING is kin to God; omniscient and omnipresent... she keeps receipts! If you continue to perform for her...in the most crucial of moments that's when she will crown you Great!

So... in truth, the focus was never winning for us!

We were alway our own focus!

We focused on POSITIONING OURSELVES TO WIN!

And... at the end, we were crowned CHAMPIONS!

5 PLAYS TO RUN to position your organization, team, or culture to WIN:

1. Cultivate a growth mindset: Encourage continuous learning and embrace challenges as opportunities for improvement.

2. Foster diverse and inclusive teams: Leverage varied perspectives to drive innovation and creative problem-solving.

3. Align goals with a clear, inspiring vision: Ensure everyone understands and is motivated by the organization's purpose.

4. Prioritize agility and adaptability: Build systems that allow for quick pivots in response to changing market conditions.

5. Invest in talent development: Create robust training programs and career pathways to attract and retain top performers.

These points focus on creating a dynamic, forward-thinking environment that can adapt to challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

#PositionToWin

#CoachGunn

#GeauxTigers