Learning Secrets to Repeatable Success From Champions

I hate Tom Brady, I just do. 

Why though?

Could it be his impeccable jaw line?

His inability to fit all his Super Bowl rings on one hand?

His innate sense of humor? (Just kidding, he’s not funny)

No, it was this video after they upset my Kansas City Chiefs to go to the Super Bowl.

We were on the way up in the league and they did it again.

The smirks, the smugness, dumb Gronk’s shoulder shrug.

So, I get it, I know how 99% of America feels right now in hating the Chiefs.

And I love it.

On the cusp of potentially setting NFL history with a Super Bowl Champion 3-peat, my beloved Chiefs have become villains, the annoyed rhetoric on every sports channel, the target of so many memes, and the reason that (apparently) 300,000 people have verbalized that they won’t watch the Super Bowl because we’re in it again.

It’s rigged.

We’re paying refs.

Taylor Swift has some voodoo magic over the game.

Or, hear me out, we have a great roster of talent led by a legendary coaching staff.

You see, as a lifelong Chiefs fan, I remember the 4-12 seasons, the bottom of the division, Todd Haley as our coach.

We’ve suffered our fair share before this.

I get it. You’re sick of us, but it shows an unfortunate truth: success of others forces us into self-evaluation mode.

What do the Chiefs have that other teams don’t? Or, when we look at our competition in the market, we often wonder:

What are they doing that I’m not?

What do they have that I don’t?

Why them and not me?

So, instead of hating the Chiefs, pay attention to what they’re doing that’s causing this repeatable success. There are lessons to be learned:

-   Emotional intelligence/Calm under pressure – We have won 17 consecutive one-score games. When you watch the team on the field, they are calm, focused, and they believe that they can overcome the adversity. They also bounce back from mistakes quickly. We’ve blown coverages, missed opportunities, been called for our fair share of ill-timed penalties (yes, the refs go against us too) but we rectify and improve every time.

How are you doing that in your world or your company?

-   Culture – As mentioned above, not only do they believe they can win on any given day, they also have each other’s’ backs. Not once have I heard someone throwing another under the bus. You never hear about selfishness or “I’m not getting the ball” comments. They have one mission: Win. Whether a player plays a major role, scores a touchdown, just does the bare minimum assignment, they do it well.

How would you rate your culture?

-  Attitude – They are having the times of their lives. From the top down and everyone in-between, they are high-energy, encouraging, and even such things as future Hall of Fame Head Coach Andy Reid coming into the post-game breakdown dressed as Santa Claus for a laugh, they are bringing a positive, fun attitude to work.

Are you doing the same or providing the psychological safety for people TO have positive attitudes at work?

-  Preparation – One thing is consistently mentioned in commentary during their games, the coaches and players know how to prepare for their opponents and they make adjustments at halftime better than anyone in the game. This is why two of their coaches are absolute Hall of Famers as are several of their players.

We often are moving along with the business, but when are you dedicating time to slow down, analyze, and prepare for what’s coming?

So, brace yourself for more Chiefs in the next couple of weeks (and beyond) as we ride an epic wave of success. For those that don’t follow the team, please try it and pay attention to the press conferences, the interviews, and the game. Know that, no matter how many commercials Travis and Patrick are in (I’m over that part for sure), that we are witnessing history in the making. If you’re a fan of sports at all, this is up there with the greatest of all times.

Paying close, objective attention will help you improve what you do as well.

But, for those who want to be mad about the Chiefs, I just have one thing for you…..

“The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (hoo-hoo-hoo)”

Hoo-hoo-hoo indeed….Go Chiefs!