I have had the privilege of being a member of many great organizations and teams. In addition, I have had the privilege of working with many other great organizations, teams, and their leaders. There many common threads to these organizations which you can read about HERE, HERE and HERE. But one of the most fascinating, and disappointing, threads is how many of these organizations seem to end.
Last year, Ethan Sherwood Strauss wrote a revealing book entitled The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty. The Warriors he is referring to are the former three-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors. While every key member of the team, coaching staff, ownership and executive management are featured, the book places heavy emphasis on stars Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. You can purchase a copy by clicking HERE or on the image provided.
On the May 19th edition of The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Strauss discussed the Warriors and gave his thoughts on why NBA dynasties are so hard to maintain. You can listen to the full interview by clicking HERE. When you read excerpts from the interview below, you begin to see why the 90’s Chicago Bulls, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors did not have success longer than they did.
The following are 5 Reasons Why Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within we learn from Strauss’s comments. Whether you lead a church, business, non-profit, educational, or athletic organization, these lessons have direct application for you.
- Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within Because Of Ego – “In football it is age and injury that unseats the dynasty. In the NBA it’s almost always ego.”
- Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within When People Become More Focused What’s Best For Them And Not For The Team – “Your statistics come at the expense of one another.”
- Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within Because Of Selfishness – “In baseball, if I’m hitting 30 home runs I’m helping you in the order. I’m helping you, it’s protection. It’s all for the good. That’s not how the NBA is.”
- Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within Because People Are No Willing To Give Credit Away – “These guys from a very early age have an exquisite understanding that one guy’s credit comes at my expense.”
- Most Great Organizations, Teams, And People Are Destroyed From Within By People Are No Longer Willing To Sacrifice – “The whole endeavor of winning a championship is this act of sacrifice and it’s almost like balancing on a log that’s spinning. It can only go for so long until somebody gets mad because the championship is just not satisfying their ego and it’s not fulfilling them like the sacrifice requires.
Earlier I mentioned I have been part of some great organizations which were destroyed from within. Much like the Golden State Warriors, it was always because of ego, selfishness, greed, and glory. In a single word – hubris. There was really no difference between the NBA champions and your typical church staff or business. It is always about “me” more than “we”.
If you want to have a sustained run of excellence at your organization, my recommendation is to take the five points above and see if any apply to you. If so, it is not too late to make the proper course corrections.
I don’t want to see you destroyed from within as well.
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