Everyone reading this article wants to be part of an elite team. No one wants to give your lives to average pursuits. Leaders want to make a difference with their one and only lives and we know to do this, we need an elite team around us. Our vision is too great to be accomplished alone. So what are the qualities of such a group of individuals known as an elite team.
Coach Kirby Smart
Today on ESPN’s College Gameday, defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was interviewed in the video above prior to its SEC Championship contest against the LSU Tigers. Coach Smart knows something about elite teams and gave us a unique glimpse into what is needed to achieve such superior results.
Coach Smart said, “We’ve got some kids who are really good leaders. They buy-in to the organization (and) the culture. They’ve done it. We give them the tools. We give them the X’s and O’s but they push each other and hold each other accountable.”
He then added, “A lot of time in the off-season. We do a lot of structuring. We make guys talk. We make guys understand what the guy before them sacrificed. Make it about the team. That’s what elite teams do. They worry about the next game, not the last game. They worry about the team, not the individual. We sell that really hard in the off-season. I don’t know if it’s a perfect remedy (as) our kids have issues too but our kids have been resilient.”
10 Things Elite Teams Do
As we break down Coach Smart’s comments, we learn 10 Things Elite Teams Do:
- Elite Teams Are Made Up Of Many Good Leaders – “We’ve got some kids who are really good leaders.”
- Elite Teams Are Aligned And Attuned – “They buy-in to the organization (and) the culture.”
- Elite Teams Have Elite Coaching – “We give them the tools. We give them the X’s and O’s.”
- Elite Teams Are Accountable To Each Other – “They push each other and hold each other accountable.”
- Elite Teams Have Elite Preparation – “A lot of time in the off-season. .. We sell that really hard in the off-season.” They are elite when no one is watching.
- Elite Teams Have Elite Communication – “We do a lot of structuring. We make guys talk.”
- Elite Teams Are Not Entitled – “We make guys understand what the guy before them sacrificed.”
- Elite Teams Elevate The Team Above The Individual – “Make it about the team. .. They worry about the team, not the individual.”
- Elite Teams Have Short Memories And Are Focused On The Future – “They worry about the next game, not the last game.”
- Elite Teams Are Resilient – “I don’t know if it’s a perfect remedy (as) our kids have issues too but our kids have been resilient.”
What is one lesson you learned from Coach Smart that if implemented today will make you a better team?
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