Another example of this is given in Jon Gordon's book, "Hard Hat" when he is talking to Cornell's head lacrosse coach, Jeff Tambroni, about resurrecting the school's program:
When I asked Jeff how he got Cornell back to its winning ways, he said, “We know and embrace who our people are. In years past we would recruit lacrosse players en masse, but now we are looking to recruit a specific ten who most appropriately fit our culture. In fact, instead of trying to be everything to everyone, we actually try to weed out the people who wouldn’t be a good fit. We highlight the reality of our culture; it’s really cold in Ithaca much of the time and if you don’t like the cold, this is probably not the right place for you. We let them know it snows a lot during the late fall and winter at Cornell, and if you don’t like the snow, this is not the right place for you. We tell them that if they come here, we will provide them with an opportunity to train hard and be one of the hardest-working teams in the country with no illusion of wins and losses. If you don’t like to work hard for others, this is not the right place for you. We tell them about the hard hat, and if it doesn’t resonate with them then we know it won’t be a good fit. The hard hat has become a big part of our culture and represents all that we stand for. By weeding out the wrong people, we are able to zero in on the right guys that fit our culture and then partner with them as they develop into great teammates and a great team.”
