Champions Execute Without Excuses
"Do your job." Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Championship teams reliably find a way to get the job done without excuses. Period.
Despite injuries and illnesses, adverse weather conditions, travel delays, awful officiating, poor seedings, hostile fans, challenging opponents, etc., Championship teams find a way to succeed. They dependably execute against a variety of teams, under a variety of conditions, with a variety of personnel, in a variety of situations.
Championship teams prepare for and practice how they want to handle difficult situations and quickly move to back up plans B, C, and D when necessary with little to no disruption in their focus or play. The ability to execute regardless of the circumstance, come hell or high water, is absolutely essential if you want to win Championships.
“I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.”
Scotty Bowman, Nine-time Stanley Cup Champion Hockey Coach
Find a Way to Adapt and Execute to Changing Opponents
To win Championships, you will need to execute successfully against a variety of opponents. Some love to push the pace while others love to slow it down. Some have a high-octane offense while others pride themselves with a staunch defense. Some compete with nothing but class while others try to play every dirty trick in the book to get under your skin. No matter what kind of opponent you might face, you need to find a way to compete against and beat them.
Which kinds of opponents does your team struggle to adapt to and how can you fix it?
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Find a Way to Adapt and Execute to Changing Situations
You will also need to adapt to changing situations. You will need to perform well whether you are at home, on the road, or at a neutral site. Winning on the road is a real hallmark for Championships teams because road victories are especially tough to come by.
You will need to find a way whether it is 100 degrees in the scorching sun or you’re playing in blizzard conditions with a negative 10-degree wind chill. You will need to find a way to win whether you have a weather delay, a game before you goes longer than expected, or you are caught in an unforeseen traffic jam and have little time to warm up. You will need to find a way to win whether you are down several scores or even up several scores.
Often referred to as “Sudden Change Situations,” realize that situations can turn on a dime and you need to immediately adjust to them and be ready to perform. No matter what the situation, you find a way to get it done.
What kinds of situations does your team struggle to adapt to and how can you fix it?
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Find a Way to Adapt and Execute to Changing Personnel
You will not only need to adapt to changing personnel from your opponent but also your own team. Odds are, you will have multiple people cycling in and out of your lineup based on injuries, illnesses, performance slumps, transfers, trades, graduations, and retirements. Your team’s ability to quickly plug in and adapt to changing personnel, rather than point to it as a convenient excuse, is critical.
Often referred to as “Next Man Up,” Championship teams can shift around and plug in different athletes without missing a beat. You can proactively prepare for these situations by knowing and being able to play a variety of positions to help your team. You also need to remind your subs to always take practices, video sessions, and warmups seriously and be mentally ready to go because they never know when their number might be called.
What kinds of personnel changes does your team struggle to adapt to and how can you fix it?
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Practice Executing in Difficult Situations Under Duress
Whenever possible, you can get comfortable handling these uncomfortable and difficult situations by simulating and working on them in practice. If the wind and weather are horrible, get out and practice in it. Have coaches make terrible officiating calls in your scrimmages. Use different game balls and equipment than what you are used to. Scrimmage against an extra defender to see if you can still score. Blare loud music to mimic the crazy crowd noise you will have to call plays and execute under. Some coaches will blow a whistle in the middle of a drill and players need to immediately transition from offense to defense to practice quickly adjusting to a sudden change.
Do whatever you can to simulate and practice crazy, chaotic, and challenging situations so you are not fazed or disrupted by them and you can effectively execute if and when they arise in competition – because they will.
“The teams that will thrive are those who act quickly and decisively to seize competitive advantage; adjusting and readjusting along the way. You either adapt, or you lose.”
James Kerr, Author of Legacy on the New Zealand All-Blacks Rugby Team
What It Takes to Win Championships
To help your team Execute Without Excuses, check out our What It Takes to Win Championships book. It includes a 15-module program to help your team develop the Mentality, Culture, and Execution necessary to win Championships.
