One of the greatest golfer in the history of that sport, Jack Nicklaus once said, “I don’t think talent is as important as the work habits and dedication necessary to be competent. Certainly talent needs to be above average but I don’t think it needs to be the top thing on the list.”
One of the most difficult phases of remaining both effective and competent is guarding against complacency. I can remember while work for Coach Sue Gunter of LSU that she would constantly speak to our team on complacency saying, “We must use our tradition to motivate us to build on it and not as a crutch to lean on where we might stumble and fall.”
Stephen Covey also talks about effectiveness in preserving and enhancing relationships. Relationships, or togetherness, or team unity, or team chemistry — no matter what you should choose to label it—is an absolute must if a team is to reach its potential and compete on a championship level.
Covey went on to use the example of a bank, an Emotional Bank, where an individual account depicts the amount of trust involved in a relationship. Our actions and attitudes towards individuals is our means of making “deposits” or “withdrawals” into our account. Positive, meaningful actions will build our account, while negative actions will delete the account. Covey then set down five phases of our ordinary day life where we can make a deposit or a withdrawal. These areas are of vital importance to our success, not just as a basketball team, but with out families and in classrooms and, eventually, in your work place. Covey’s five areas are:
1. Kindness vs. unkindness
2. Keeping promises vs. breaking promises
3. Honoring expectations vs. violating expectations
4. Loyalty vs. lack of loyalty
5. Apologies vs. pride
