The Art of Sustained Excellence

By George Carralejo

 One of the most often recited quotes from Championship Teams is, “it’s easier to get to the top, than it is to remain on top.” It serves as a warning to successful teams that what got you to the pinnacle, won’t keep you there. Once you’ve reached the apex of your profession, a myriad of new issues inevitably arise: your opponents are intensely focused on beating you, your team must overcome the disease of me, and internal complacency begins to set in. These are just a few of the issues that champions face in their quest to remain the best. So how do the best remain successful year after year? Long term winners have both incredible discipline and a willingness to constantly self-evaluate; by making these traits a hallmark of their culture, the team can remain successful year after year. As Super Bowl winning coach, Pete Carroll stated, the goal is to “Win Forever.”

 The biggest threat to successful teams is complacency. It’s difficult for championship teams to respond the following year when the adrenaline of the championship atmosphere is no longer there to push them. It’s common for teams to come out flat and use the excuse that they will turn it on when they need to. When teams think like this, it’s safe to say that when the time comes to flip the switch and go back to championship mode, the switch fails to turn on a second time. So, how do teams avoid complacency?

 1)    The leader of the team must be clear about the team’s goals.

 2)    Maintain high standards. – Continue to push the boundaries of self-actualization.

 3)    Always look forward – You can’t keep your foot on the gas if you’re constantly glancing in the rearview mirror.

 4)    The only competitor is ourselves – The team should be in relentless pursuit of their personal best. This will be achieved through great self-discipline.

 5)    Pride yourself on resilience. Sustained excellence is achieved by avoiding the roller coaster of emotions and repeatedly finding the inner strength to come back again.

 As you conquer the trap of complacency, you’ll next have to deal with “The Disease of More.” Pat Riley coined this phrase to describe the individual team members penchant to want more credit, more money, and an expanded role, as the members of the team overestimate their contributions to the success of the previous year. While ambition is a fine quality to have, when the team doesn’t properly self-evaluate, it’s members tend to exaggerate their necessity and contribution to the group’s success. At this point, it’s imperative that the leader clearly define the roles of each member of the team, and if a player can’t accept his role, it may be best to move in a different direction.

 Finally, team’s that find a way to remain on top year after year do one thing better than any other. They realize their opponent is themselves. If a team holds itself to the highest personal standards and focuses on its own development and looks to get better each day, they are best able to maintain focus after wins and not get discouraged by setbacks.

 Growing up in Southern California, I have been exposed to the success of Pat Riley’s Lakers, Phil Jackson’s Lakers, and Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans. While each of these legendary coaches were authentic to their own personalities and achieved success in different ways; the long-term success of all three of these dynasties included the principles listed above.

 As Pete Carroll said, “the goal is to Win Forever.”

 George Carralejo