I have seen many church staffs, businesses, and athletic teams fail. If you have been around any length of time, so have you. Few things are as heartbreaking as watching a high-potential group of individuals needlessly self-destruct.
I recently came across the video shown above from ESPN analyst Coach Jimmy Dykes speaking to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock basketball team. Coach Dykes crystallized why teams fail as well as anyone I have heard.
As I mentioned, Coach Dykes is an ESPN analyst. But he is also an author of the wonderful new book The Film Doesn’t Lie: Evaluating Your Life One Play at a Time. More importantly, Coach Dykes is a husband, father, and Godly man. He is a leader you should be following and listening to.
Don’t believe me, the following are 6 Causes Of Church Staff, Business Or Athletic Team Failure I captured from Coach Dykes’s must-watch video shown above. All quotes are his unless otherwise noted.
A Lack Of Every Day Guys
- “Every day those guys are here early. John Wall was there every day early. Brandon Knight was there every day early.” – referring to Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at Kentucky
- “They were every day guys in their effort. They were every day guys in their attitude. They were every day guys in the classroom.”
- “They were every day guys in everything they did – how they took care of their bodies, how they treated their teammates.”
- “The coach could count on them every single day in every aspect.”
- “Every day guys win championships. I will take an every day guy over a more-talented guy every single time.
Who You Associate With
- “Don’t think you’re strong enough to overcome some bad dudes you’re running with. No one has ever been.”
- “No one is strong enough to overcome bad influence on a day-to-day basis.”
A Lack Of Commitment
- “There is going to come a time this year.. when your commitment is going to come into question and who you’re hanging with or your foolish pride is going to tell you to walk away from this program.”
A Lack Of Toughness
- “There aren’t very many tough people anymore and the cost of that is dramatic.”
- “It costs people their jobs. It costs people their marriages. It costs people their health. Toughness is a huge key word.”
- “You cannot win if you are not tough.”
- “Toughness is doing what’s right when it’s really, really, really hard to do what’s right.”
- “Toughness is not throwing elbows and jawing with someone. That’s the opposite of toughness.”
- “Tough guys sit on the bench and have great body language.”
- “Not-tough guys go to end of the bench and sulk… That’s what selfish guys do. That’s what bad teammates do. That’s what bad teams do. Not the great ones.”
- “If you are not tough, you will not win.”
Not Having Or Living Out Your Non-Negotiables
- “My attitude and my effort is non-negotiable. My effort and my attitude are the two things I can control. I will always be on top of those two things. It is non-negotiable with me.” – quoting Aaron Craft
- “What is non-negotiable with you? If you do not have non-negotiable you are open to anything.”
- “I have things that are non-negotiable to me as a married man. They are non-negotiable. I will not get outside these boundaries.”
- “I’ve already made a decision before I get put into any position to make a decision. It’s non-negotiable.”
- “It’s the big-picture stuff that drives champions.”
You Don’t Know Or You Don’t Care
- “You don’t care. Man, that’s a killer.”
- “When I see people walking around life making bad choices, hurting other people, they know. They know… Just didn’t care.”
- “Those coaches aren’t going to hold you responsible for something you didn’t know… They are going to hold you responsible for what you do know.”
- “God has blessed everyone in this room with a healthy body, healthy mind, and a healthy spirit. What are you going to do with it?”
Coach Dykes concluded by saying, “No good team is a good team unless they’re good listeners.”
I have one question for you. A Lack Of Every Day Guys. Who You Associate With. A Lack Of Commitment and Toughness. Not Having or Living Out Your Non-Negotiables. You Don’t Know or Don’t Care. Are you also listening to Coach Dykes?
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