“It’s not wanting to win that makes you a WINNER”
October 7th, 2015 // 11:22 am @ Scott Manning
Today, let’s talk about what makes a WINNING quarterback?
Yes, the key word is WINNING…
There is nothing like the pressure of being the leader of a team, whether that’s a team of one or a team of many. There is nothing like the pressure of standing behind center and calling for the ball when everything is riding on you and you know there is a blatant and vicious enemy on the other side of the ball who is waiting to tear your head off, wreck your plans, steal your ball, and keep you from scoring.
That enemy comes in the form of competition, market challenges, daily life, government regulations, customers, but more than any of these things it comes in the form of your own acceptance of mediocrity, laziness or status quo.
The enemy you must overcome most is: never forgetting that PLAYING and WINNING are two different things.
Being a business owner, entrepreneur, professional of any sorts is tough. It is hard. It’s not suppose to be easy and it is something no one else in your life can or will ever understand unless they have or are living with the pressure…facing this enemy.
But. Make no mistake – the reason most people do not ever succeed to actually WIN at this game is because they are satisfied just playing…not committed, obsessed, laser focused on WINNING.
My brother gave me a Peyton Manning poster that says – “It’s not wanting to win that makes you a winner, it’s refusing to Fail!”
Do you understand the difference?
EVERYONE “says” they want to win. Of course. Why else would you play. But if you carefully follow and observe the actions of others you can tell whether they ‘want to win’ or they ‘refuse to fail.’
As I have continually said here in the past few weeks (which ends today in our football series of you learning to be the best quarterback possible), there are key things you must master, disciplines you must embrace, realities you must own and overcome by choosing to not fail, deciding to be a winning quarterback and not just a quarterback.
In life instead of sports, we get to make our own advantage, we get to stack the deck, we get to make our own rules, we get to take control of both sides of the ball. Most just never do.
Last week I gave you two critically important aspects of protecting your pocket so you can score points, see down field and be an effective Quarterback.
Today I’m adding two more.
A winning quarterback knows how to best utilize their team. They know every person’s strengths and weaknesses, they know how to make each person perform great as individuals and also as a cohesive team.
This is the trait of an extraordinary leader, one who doesn’t just watch and see or let things happen but orchestrates the success of their Team for victory. You may have people or companies or organizations who support you, refer to you, provide you with tools and resources or you might have a team of employees that you wake up to every single day.
It is your responsibility to ensure they are in the right spot, trained to do the right things, and held accountable for that performance so the team can win.
The quarterback stands back and looks down field to see the other side of the ball and points things out to the Team in order to help them get ready for the snap. You call the plays. And this is why you can never stop investing in the development of your people. The saying is true, you are only as strong as your weakest link. You will get beat on the weak side.
Master the art and strategy of people placement and team performance.
Next and a very easy one but one that is often taken for granted… Quarterbacks must have information, knowledge, resources to help them make decisions.
If I were to ask you what is feeding your mind, morale and motivation every single day what is your answer? If I said how are you “training” and improving and who is keeping you focused every week? Where are you gathering your data for your next move, your next game, your next challenge, your next trip down field to victory.
There better be an answer.
Here’s an example on the flip side. For our Clients and our philosophy at Dental Success Today is to serve our Dentists and their Teams in all ways, to never let them feel alone and to provide anything they need at anytime so when they are in search of resources or in need of information it is always there.
We provide them with a Weekly Huddle to start their Weeks with their Teams. We provide them with a weekly Doctor-only refocus and prioritization action paper. We provide them with a business practice profit report.
They receive a monthly box of team training, patient enhancements, personal motivation, and skills development. Quarterly we focus on specific fundamentals of perfecting their leadership and their performance.
We track results. We have a person who is their Team Member Advocate, just like I am the Doctor/Owner’s Advocate.
This doesn’t count our live events, Practice Champion Development, and all of the we-do-it-for-them systems, solutions, educational items, and team transformation components.
They have resources so they are never alone, never without, and never wondering what’s next.
That’s service. That’s what’s necessary.
I do my part to a certain extent right here every week for you at least giving you something to chew on, think about, ponder, question, consider, with the idea being you focusing on you and what you can control.
So, your homework for this week Quarterback is make sure everything in your life, head, team, business is built and focused around winning not just playing. Assess and reinvigorate your team and make darn sure you have the tools and resources available to you to actually be as successful as you desire.
Category : Blog
