A Losing Culture
The Colorado Buffaloes football team just finished the 2022 season with a 1-11 record. In fact, it was the team’s 15th losing season in the last 17 years. Clearly, losing has become commonplace and excellence is no longer the expectation. This is about to change.
A New Leader
On Sunday, December 4, 2022, a leader walked into the room. It was on this day that Coach Prime Deion Sanders was introduced as the team’s new football coach. Coach Prime then delivered a masterclass on creating a winning culture to a group of young men and an organization who has recently have known nothing but losing.
A video of his initial address is shown below.
Deion Sanders meets & talks to his Colorado football team for the first time pic.twitter.com/fMpFMwDXfN
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) December 4, 2022
25 Lessons on Creating A Winning Culture
The following are 25 things we learn from Coach Prime’s speech about immediately establishing a winning culture in your organization. First is the lesson followed by his quote.
- Winning Cultures Have A Higher Purpose – “God called him (athletic director Rick George) strategically to reach out to me… He didn’t convinced me, he confirmed to me.”
- Winning Cultures Provide Opportunity For Those In It – “It was all about an opportunity to do something that hadn’t been done in quite some time.”
- Winning Cultures Are Not Frivolous. They Are Serious And All About Business. – “Now let’s get down to business.”
- Winning Cultures Line Up Behaviors With Beliefs – “When I told my mother at the age of seven I’m going to make a lot of money, I’m going to be rich and she’s going to never have to work another day of her life. My actions lined up with that belief. I’ve haven’t stopped believing and I have a problem when young men, with everything in front of them, don’t believe. That’s a problem.”
- Winning Cultures Identify The Real Problems Preventing Success – “There’s a spirit around this team, around this school that is not traditional.”
- Winning Cultures Combat Complacency – “In some kind of way you guys have accepted it and you’ve begun to become complacent with it and some of the guys who aren’t here that are supposed to be here, that’s the ones. All of this is going to stop.”
- Winning Cultures Establish Clear Objectives – “I’m coming. Not to compete, but to win. Not to show up, but to show out. Not to be amongst the rest, but to be the best. I’m coming. I’m flat-out coming. This is real. This ain’t no ESPN, or this isn’t one of the networks you just happened to see it on, I’m right in front of you. You know why, I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Eradicate Anything Which Prevents Winning – “I’m coming to restore, to replace”
- Winning Cultures Have High Energy – “and to reenergize.”
- Winning Cultures Remove Those Who Are Not Committed To Doing What Is Necessary To Win – “Some of y’all are salvageable. I’m not going to lie, everybody that sit their butt in a seat ain’t gonna have a seat when we get back. But I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Work Hard – “I started and we gonna go dominate and we’re going to work. I’m coming to work and not to play. I’m coming to kill it and not to kick it. I’m coming”
- Winning Cultures Are Counter-Cultural – “When I get back there ain’t going to be no hats in meetings.. no hoodies.. no phones.. no ear rings in the meetings. “
- Winning Cultures Build Community – “Everybody’s going to look like everybody.”
- Winning Cultures Do Things Differently Than Average Cultures – “It’s going to be a different place, a different feel, a different attitude, a different energy, a different work ethic, a different walk, a different hunger, a different desire, a different need, a different capacity, it’s going to be a different reach. I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Feel Different – “By now you’re about to feel it. You can feel what I’m saying. You can feel where I’m coming from and you know I ain’t playing because I’ve got the credentials to back it up. I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Are Committed To Excellence – “The commitment to excellence. There’s not going to be anymore mediocrity. I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Are Made Up Of Grateful People – “I love everything about this institution — the academic prevalence, no crime, beautiful city, beautiful stadium. We’ve never had nothing (like this facility) to work out in.”
- Winning Cultures Demand Respect – “Our (Jackson State) kids would go absolute crazy to be in the situation you are in. But you don’t respect it. I’m coming. You don’t want it. I’m coming. Some of y’all don’t even think you deserve it. I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Are Conduits Of Change – “And usually when God sends me to a place, he sends me to be a conduit of change. I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Are Constantly Upgrading Their Talent – “We’ve got a few positions already taken care of because I’m bringing my luggage with me and it’s Louis (Vuitton). I’m coming.”
- Winning Cultures Raise The Standard – “It ain’t gonna be no more of the mess that these wonderful fans, the student body and some of your parents have put up with for probably two decades now. I’m coming. And when I get here, it’s going to be change.”
- Winning Cultures Force Some People To Self-Select Out – “So I want you all to get ready. Go ahead and jump in that portal and do whatever you’re going to get, because the more of you jump in, the more room you make.”
- Winning Cultures Have A Clearly Defined Template For The Type Of People They Are Looking For – “We’re bringing kid that smart… tough… fast… disciplined… with character.”
- Winning Cultures Demand Sacrifice – “What are you sacrificing right now to substantiate that you really want this? What are you surrendering, what are you giving up right now?”
- Winning Cultures Have A Clear Ethos – “I’m coming.”
One last thought on Coach Prime, Auburn should have hired him.
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