Success Advice
The 4 Principles to Excellence

Our college coach, Gordie Gillespie, had this to say about athletic practices, “You play as you practice.” Excellent practices lead to excellent games; poor practices make for poor performance. Dean Smith, the former University of North Carolina basketball coach, believed, “The practices belong to the coaches; the games belong to the players.” The practices must properly prepare the players for the games.
Practices in athletics can be based on four principles. Are these four principles relevant to the training in your business or your organization? Does your organization’s training properly prepare your people for excellence in execution of your policies?
1. Effort
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, used to tell his players, “We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way we shall catch excellence.” I don’t think you ever reach perfection, but you can reach the goal of excellence.
Lack of effort, sloppy play, and poor concentration cannot be accepted in practices and must be addressed immediately and emphatically. The great coaches critique the action, not the person’ with one exception. If a player has been corrected for the same error repeatedly, the coach can and should question his attitude and his commitment to his teammates.
A major factor in catching excellence is mental errors. Most losses are the result of mental, not physical, mistakes. Lack of concentration leads to shabby execution. Bob Knight, the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach, used to say the mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1. We thought it might be closer as 10 is to 1. If excellence is to be achieved, mental effort and concentration must be paramount in both training and practices.
2. Toughness
The second important principle in practices is that they must be physically and mentally demanding. Please think of THE BEST teacher you ever had. If I were to ask you to raise your hand on one of these two questions about that teacher, which one would you choose?
Was he easy? Was he tough and demanding?
I believe most of you, if not all of you, would choose the latter for two reasons. That demanding teacher may have taken you to levels even you didn’t think were attainable. Secondly, that teacher may have made you tougher and may have given you the GIFT of toughness.
The gift of toughness was best articulated in the title of Reverend Robert Schuller’s outstanding book, Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do. There is a lot of adversity in life and none of us are exempt. Toughness does help us get through the difficult times.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
3. Repetition
Repetition is critical for practices to be effective. John Wooden, the iconic UCLA basketball coach, believed in the adage, “Repetition is the mother of learning.” Too often students or players are labeled as dumb too quickly. If they had the time to repeat the task often enough, they could very well master it.
Imagine being Rudy from the movie, “Rudy.” For the first twelve years of his education – first grade to senior year in high school – he was told he was too dumb to learn. It wasn’t until his first year at Holy Cross Junior College that diagnostic testing informed him that he had dyslexia. He says it was the best day of his life because now he knew why learning came so difficulty.
Through the repetition of the fundamentals of football and repetition of his classwork, Rudy earned his degree and his spot on the football team at the University of Notre Dame. When an action happens in game situations, Players do the following:
See, think, react or read, relate, react.
Great players and great teams eliminate the second step. Instead, they see and react or read and react. There is not enough time to think or relate because the play will be by them. They can quickly react because they have repeated the task so often in practices.
4. Structured
Great practices must be well-organized. It is critical that coaches take the time to meticulously organize practices. Some coaches use the scoreboard to time each segment of the practice. Others write the sequence of drills and scrimmages and ascertain how each segment is performed prior to moving to the next phase.
Some coaches have a practice structure they follow with multiple drills and scrimmages that can be used in each segment.
One format used by basketball coaches is:
- Offensive Fundamentals
- Defensive Fundamentals
- Team Defense
- Team Offense
- Special Situations
Many coaches like to end practice on a fun team drill, so the players will leave on a good note and be ready for the next day’s practice.
Final Thoughts
Consider these four points in organizing your practices or training sessions in pursuit of excellence:
- Chase perfection; catch excellence.
- Make practices/training tough and demanding.
- Give thought to the importance of repetition.
- Devise well-organized practices that end on a positive, fun note.
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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