On Becoming Champions!

Home | About Altika | Services / Solutions | Support | Contact Us

On Becoming Champions!

You don't become a champion overnight. Many factors determine whether you will become a champion. Are you a ready to become a champion?

By Lars G. Harrison

I have spent more than three quarters of my life in training and in building myself for a life as an athlete. Being curtailed by an injury about ten years ago, I had to abandon all hopes of becoming a world-class champion in sports. But what I learn from sports I have been able to take to my professional life, which in many ways have similarities to the professional life of athletics and sports. I have known many champions and also some that were best friends of champions. A friend of mine once wrote a book on champions (called "In the Winner's Circle") many years ago, himself an Olympian. As we draw near another Olympic Games in Atlanta, I would like to digress from my usual discussions on leadership and discuss some of the aspects that I have found that champions possess and how the same qualities, attitudes and character sets can be used by leaders in becoming champions in their particular discipline in their professional career.

Determining factors

Their are many determining factors that interplay in making a champion. It is obvious that champions in athletics are especially physically gifted. Many are born with bodies that can best be expressed in athletics. I have, however, met some people that had excellent abilities, but wasted them with drugs and other harmful vices. What is interesting to note is that not one champion is alike in having the same arsenal of characters, motivation, goals and mission which determine a winning combination. A winning combination varies from person to person. I have found that every single one of the champions and the successful athletes that I have had the privilege to work and play with, had goals and missions, and they had a burning desire to for success and motivation to turn their dreams into reality. It is not merely wanting to become the best in the world, although many desire that, or prove that one is worth admiration, or merely proving a point, it certainly goes beyond that.

How some athletes became champions

Wilma Rudolph, who astonished the world with her running abilities by winning three gold medals in the 1960s Olympic Games, was born with a childhood disease that forced her to wear a special leg brace until she was 11. She said, "My first goal was to get rid of that ugly shoe and walk and run like the other kids." When she discovered she had talent, she wanted to be the best, but didn't dream she would become the best in the world. The great diver, Greg Loganis, had a similar childhood problem. Mary Lou Retton admitted that she wouldn't have become a champion without her coach. Some have fought back excruciating pain to win. For Mark Spitz, it was mostly pride and fear that brought him to seven goal medals. And yet other champions had personal incentives which propelled them to achieve, such as winning for loved ones or significant others.

Characteristics and qualities of champions

I have discovered that every champion possesses most all of the following:

They set goals and purposes for their endeavors

Determination and motivation

They don't deviate from the path or course set forth

Willingness to sacrifice and forgo a present pleasure to achieve a distant goal

Ability to endure pain, criticism, and major set backs

Talent for the particular sport

A very high work effort and discipline to endure long periods of training

A great coach, mentor, inspiration, and/or successful and encouraging peers that make you believe in the unbelievable and do things that you never hoped was possible

Continuous improvement (never content with the present state--always desire to become better)

No procrastination or defeatist attitude; they learn early to remove toxic emotions and attitudes

When it gets rough, they put in extra efforts and rise to the occasion

They remain calm in important situations and push aside nervousness

A knowledge that eating right, getting proper sleep, and some R & R is necessary for sanity check and long endurance

What can we learn from these champions and use in our professional lives?

We can implement some of these qualities in our professional lives, instill them in our peers and subordinates and use them to make champions of our organizations. Clearly, every organization needs a mission statement (or a goal statement) which clarifies a person's or an organization's purpose for existence, from which all activities and work should flow from. In addition, you should have value statements, that define your or the organization's philosophy and core values toward the activities and processes to be performed to achieve the goal or mission. The organization must not deviate from this path and purpose. A champion company establish directives, mission and goals, and attend to these often. The leadership of the company will instill this vision, be enthusiastic and foster a vital, thriving organization.

One think that many corporations fail to remember is to be willing to forgo temporal pleasures to achieve a more worthwhile goal. Short-term thinking has ruined many companies. Merely satisfying some people's desire for creed, does not promote solid growth. We need to think long-term. You can take the reason example of Apple Computer, Inc. All the users complained years ago and asked for a few things, such as license the MacOS, allow clones, resolution issues, prices point, and a host of other things. Apple refused to listen to the customers or the industry, because of their arrogance and self-importance. Even the new portable, which I am using from time to time, the 5300 series, does have a CD-ROM installed. Most powerful portable PCs have a CD-ROM installed. Considering that the base of the users are heavy multimedia programmers and graphic artist, this is no incredible shortsightedness in marketing.

When Ted Turner first began CNN from his downtown Atlanta location, the media and the business world ridiculed his venture. CNN is now a household world and millions of viewers throughout the world rely on news from Ted's network. Many other entrepreneurs have endured set backs and bounced back to again capture the crown.

A champion company

If you don't have immediate talent and possess a tremendous physical prowess, you can learn and continue to improve. Talent is necessary. If your company doesn't have the talent, hire it. And give the talented people room and the facilities to create and make superior products and services. And do send them to the best training facilities that you can afford. Economy are not making changes, ideas and attitudes drive business. In order for you stay on top, you need both talented people and people that are in tune with the market trends, flexible, willing to move markets and find solutions to unknown and existing problems.

One reason that many small upstart companies become so successful to start with is the energy and synergy that exists in those entrepreneurial companies. Staying entrepreneurial is vital to success. High work efforts exists because there is a chance for promotion, whereas in larger established companies, the chance often nominal (or requires years of persistence to the corporate culture). Training the employees and empowering them to increase their knowledge base, is often sorely lacking. In today's knowledge economy, it should be self-evident that knowledge is power, and the attitudes and ideas shape the economy. What moves companies are the new ideas and how well they can solve problems and provide the best services for customers. A champion companies should value high work efforts, allow creativity, idea generation and entrepreneurial culture, and offer constant training to their employees.

A coach and leader in any organization can make and break his team and organization. Enthusiasm breeds contentment, and idea generation. A champion company will institute a mentor program for all it employees. It is the role of senior managers to train their employees to replace them upon their retirement. Champion companies constantly reward their people for good work and efforts. It is amazing what difference a simple word, or e-mail of encouragement for a good work done does to people. I have seen it in myself. I try my very best not to let down that boss, and make him look the very best. If you respect others, they will respect you. Good leaders make you accomplish the unbelievable. Encouraging peers can help the team accomplish mission that you could only be dreamt about.

Champion companies set up quality programs, get ISO certification, establish continuous improvement and desire to never be content with the present state, but strive to serve their customers and other internal stakeholders with the very best in quality. Always thinking with the customer in mind when making any product. A TQM program, ISO 9001 and 14001 certification programs, Malcolm Baldridge award program, and other quality programs should be looked into. Reviewing current processes with the future processes, reflecting upon where they have been and where they want to go, are aspect germane to these companies.

No negativism, gossip, back talking and back-stabbing, attempts to rid out unfairness, corpocrary (political dealings which stalls growth, change and advancement) and disloyalty, and no procrastination in getting the new services of products out to the customers. A champion company constantly works on removing toxic attitudes and processes.

A champion company comes back again and again because when it gets rough, they put in the extra efforts and rise to the occasion. They are calm and optimistic in the face of adversities and take advantage of situations and opportunities. Confidence is a sign of champions.

It is strange to me as an European not to have five-weeks vacation. Americans tend to work too much, but the leaders have the pleasure to take off for weeks of vacation. A social class structure indeed exists. However, a champion company recognizes that employees need not only proper nutrition, sleep, but also enough R&R as a necessary sanity check to be able to endure the hectic corporate life. Reward systems that empower a worker to desire to produce should be instituted on a large scale. A champion company understand when the workers need extra attention, comfort, encouragement, and even a vacation. Even small rewards at special occasions. Workers spend eight hours five days every week at their work. Often more than they spend with their families. The corporation becomes their family and a place where they find an identity. We need to spend more time getting to know one another and build relationships and friendship. Life is all about relationships. We should ensure that the core values of a champion company are based on relationships with team members, customers, other stakeholders, and the greater community. All of these steps are vital aspects in making a company a champion.

Lars G. Harrison can be reached at lars_harrison@yahoo.com.

Harrison on Leadership May 1996