How to Celebrate Success: Los Angeles Lakers Ring Ceremony

A team is a small number of people interdependent on their complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, performance, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Jon Katzenbach)

Forget the excuses.

Forget the nay-sayers.

Forget the yes-people.

Forget the experts.

Forget who's in charge.

Forget the contingency plans.

Forget the media.

Forget the compromises.

Keep your vision at the forefront.

"I've shared with my teammates how I prepare for games. My hope is that my mentality rubs off on them. I want them to see what I see, think about what I think about: Why did you turn the ball over? What was the defense doing? What were your options? If this guy cuts here and the defense does this, who does that free up?

"We've got guys who are gym rats, who want to work hard, who want to win. The trick is to get everybody playing together, trying to accomplish the same goal. If you have the talent and the sacrifice on top of that, you have a championship-caliber team. One player can do only so much. If you haven't gotten to that next level, you haven't figured out how to get everybody on the same page."

--Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers.

Is this how your team celebrates success?

Team Chemistry: The Forgotten Variable in Success

I have never seen the hype machine in higher gear than it has been since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in Miami. Many people have either predicted an 82-0 season record and/or an automatic NBA championship trophy to the Miami Heat even before the regular season had started.

The 88-80 win by the veteran Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat last night in Boston in the season opener is a reminder that talent is never enough. The Celtics, made up of a core unit of Ray Allen (20 points) , Paul Pierce (19 points), Rajon Rondo (who led the Celtics with 17 assists) and Kevin Garnett (10 points and 10 rebounds) and veteran Shaquille O'Neal, beat the Heat because of one thing: team chemistry.  Despite 31 points from LeBron James, the Heat looked disorganized and over-matched.

What we saw was a veteran Celtics team that has been together since 2007. The Celtics own one NBA championship and another finals appearance since that time. Last night, it beat a Miami team of newly acquired "super talent." The Celtic team has kept its core because of its understanding of team chemistry, cohesion, precision passing and team defense. Talent cannot be put together quickly and made to perform flawlessly without much planning, preparation, and practice.  You can expect the Miami Heat to continue to be less than stellar without much more time to come together.  The competition is gunning for them and the Heat may have a harder time than expected early in the season at least. Watch the more experienced NBA teams take advantage for the foreseeable future.

So, remember, when you want top performance and results with any team, consider team chemistry. Keep your team together and be patient. You will be rewarded. Don't assume that talent can perform at a high level without time, togetherness and maturity.

To download the new mobile mental conditioning app from Performance Vertical Consulting, get your smartphone and click on:  Mindfuel Lite.  

For more on performance psychology, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.  

Winning Correlated to Touching in Team Sports

In a paper due out this year in the journal "Emotion," Drs. Kraus, Huang and Keltner, report that with a few exceptions, good teams tended to be touchier than bad ones. The most touch-bonded teams were the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, currently two of the league’s top teams; at the bottom were the mediocre Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats. The same was true, more or less, for players. The touchiest player was Kevin Garnett, the Celtics’ star big man, followed by star forwards Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors and Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz.

“Within 600 milliseconds of shooting a free throw, Garnett has reached out and touched four guys,” Dr. Keltner said.

To correct for the possibility that the better teams touch more often simply because they are winning, the researchers rated performance based not on points or victories but on a sophisticated measure of how efficiently players and teams managed the ball — their ratio of assists to giveaways, for example. And even after the high expectations surrounding the more talented teams were taken into account, the correlation persisted. Players who made contact with teammates most consistently and longest tended to rate highest on measures of performance, and the teams with those players seemed to get the most out of their talent. The study fell short of showing that touch caused the better performance, Dr. Kraus acknowledged. “We still have to test this in a controlled lab environment,” he said.

If a high five or an equivalent can in fact enhance performance, on the field or in the office, that may be because it reduces stress. A warm touch seems to set off the release of oxytocin, a hormone that helps create a sensation of trust, and to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In the brain, prefrontal areas, which help regulate emotion, can relax, freeing them for another of their primary purposes: problem solving. In effect, the body interprets a supportive touch as “I’ll share the load.”

“We think that humans build relationships precisely for this reason, to distribute problem solving across brains. We are wired to literally share the processing load, and this is the signal we’re getting when we receive support through touch.”

--James A. Coan, a psychologist at the University of Virginia.

For the entire article, click on: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/health/23mind.html

Key to Long-Standing Patriots' Success: Stand Behind the Coach and his Decisions

”Coach has a lot of confidence we can make a yard and a half to win the game. They showed us the drive before they can go pretty fast and score. Coach was being aggressive and I love that about him. As a coach, you’re not thinking let’s punt it to them and see if they can do it again. He’s thinking, ‘We have 450 yards of offense.’ ”

-Tom Brady, New England Patriots' quarterback, defending head coach Bill Belichick's decision to go for it in fourth down deep in Patriot territory late in the game. The decision backfired, and the Patriots' opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, got the ball and scored to win 35-34.

"It was a really bad coaching decision by coach Belichick. I have all the respect in the world for him, but he has to punt the ball. The message that you are sending in the locker room is: I have no confidence in my young guys on my defense.

"This is the worst coaching decision I've ever seen Bill Belichick make."

--Rodney Harrison, sportscaster and former New England Patriot said on NBC's postgame show.

Still, in the Patriots locker room, there was no questioning the call.

”He’s the head coach,” Faulk said. “No matter what, to us that’s the right call. We are the employees.”

If the Patriots would have made the first down, they probably would have been able to run out the clock and win the game. If the play had worked, Belicheck would have been labeled a rogue genius.

Belicheck should have been applauded for his moxie and innovative, despite the play not working. This type of decision-making and play calling has led to four Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl wins.

"We thought we could win the game on that play," Belichick said. "That was a yard I was confident we could get."

It is particularly impressive that the Patriots stuck together after the game and did not question the decision, despite the outcome. This is rarely seen in the NFL today. It is not typical in corporate America either.

How many organizations can say they do not second-guess their boss and their organization after a failure or defeat?

This type of team solidarity is difficult to find.

Should you reconsider your reactions to mistakes?


Note: The Colts are now 9-0 and have the inside track toward home-field advantage through the A.F.C. playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals, at 7-2 and with an easy schedule remaining, seem headed for a first-round bye. The Patriots are now 6-3, and though they still have a firm grip on the A.F.C. East, their chances of a first-round bye are sinking.

Bottom line: There are seven games left in the regular season. There is alot of football left to play and many more decisions to make and plays to call.

Let's see which teams stick together and which implode.

Excerpts from the New York Times and ESPN.com (November 16, 2009).

For more on Peak Performance Teams, click on Team Pulse. For more on the New England Patriots, click on http://www.squidoo.com/patriotscasestudy.

The Owner of the New York Yankees Acknowledges the Champions

"The Steinbrenner Family and the Yankees Organization are extremely proud of the members of the 2009 New York Yankees for bringing a 27th World Championship to New York City and our fans, the greatest fans in the world. Every World Series victory is special, but this one is especially sweet coming in the first year in our new home.

"The 2009 New York Yankees proved that we are the best in baseball. We beat truly worthy opponents in the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series. As we did all season long, we fought hard, never lost focus and gave a true team victory. Our players have a lot to be proud of. This group will become legendary -- similar to the 26 World Championship teams that preceded them.

"Joe Girardi and his team deserve great credit for racking up wins over a long, tough season.

"We are so grateful to our fans. They have never wavered in their faith or enthusiasm through the good and bad years. This World Series belongs to them and to all Yankees, past, present and future."

--George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees' owner.

It is clear that the championship grew out of a vision, confidence, a need to prove their abilities and meet a challenge, a family atmosphere, a sense of belonging and teamwork, perseverence, pride, focus, and passion. This is a successful formula for championships. Congratulations to the New York Yankees.

For more Team Peak Performance, click on Team Pulse.

New York Yankees Win World Series as a Team

"Look, a lot of other people were going the other way and my teammates and coaches and the organization stood right next to me and we finished together as world champs. I couldn't be prouder.

"I just knew then that when I had the 25 guys standing next to me and the organization and general manager, it meant the world to me and I said that day [that] this is going to turn out to be one of the most special years of our lives, and it sure has.''

--Alex Rodriguez, discussing his teammates' support since February when he admitted to steroid use and faced the media at spring training.

"He's a world champion," general manager Brian Cashman said. "No one can say anything about him anymore. He's performed in October. He's performed on the biggest stage. He's got a World Series ring coming his way, and he deserves it."

Hitting .365 in the postseason, Rodriguez slammed six homers and drove in 18 runs.

GOOD MANAGEMENT

Joe Girardi was instrumental in managing the talented Yankees.

"He lets us play, that's the thing. He writes down the lineup. He's open with us. He's honest with us, he communicates with us well. He gives us a chance to go out there and do our thing. He's done a tremendous job."

--Derek Jeter, giving credit to the managerial skills of Yankee manager, Joe Girardi.

DREAMS, PRIDE, AND TEAMWORK

"The joy is the same, but it's a different type of joy," Girardi said after the victory. "As a player, it's what you dream about ever since you were a little boy, and for me, it was listening to Curt Gowdy do all the World Series games. As a manager, you still have that joy, but the joy is for other people, because you know as a player what it takes to win a championship."

"It feels great," Rodriguez said. "I couldn't be more proud of 25 guys, coaching staff and an organization -- it takes everybody."

"I feel very blessed. I feel so lucky to be part of their fifth championship and my first. It's an honor to play with these guys."

--Mark Teixeira, Yankee firstbaseman, said of Yankee veterans Derek Jeter, Jose Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.

. . .was happy to be able to hit and contribute to the team's win but more than that, just, us as a team, winning the championship - by far - that is such a great feeling. I guess you can say that this is the best moment of my life right now. If I were to look back, yes, this would be the best.''

--Hideki Matsui, Most Valuable Player of the 2009 World Series, who drove in six runs in the sixth and final game and hitting .615 with three homers and eight RBI during the entire series.

"This is what the Steinbrenner family has strived for year after year after year and has tried to deliver to this city of New York and George Steinbrenner and his family are champions and to be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere that he created around here, um, is very gratifying for all of us," Girardi said.

Excerpts from USAToday.com, NECN.com, VOANews.com, ESPN.com and MLB.com (November 5, 2009).

Dallas Cowboys Gain Momentum and Confidence

"The thing with this success is that we just have to be even harder on each other, expect even more out of each other. With each win comes great expectations. We're not just talking about from the outside; we're talking about in our own locker room, from ourselves."

--Jay Ratliff, Dallas Cowboys' nose tackle.

The Dallas Cowboys are on a three game winning streak and have increasing confidence. Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo threw touchdown passes to three receivers, including his new favorite target Miles Austin, and didn't have an interception for a career-best third straight game, leading the Cowboys to a 38-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and into a tie with the Philadelphia Eagles for the division lead in the NFL NFC East.

"I feel good about the progress we've made, but we've still got a ways to go."
--Wade Phillips, Dallas Cowboys' head coach.

PATRICK CRAYTON DEALS WITH ADVERSITY

"You've got to make the most of the opportunities you can," wide receiver Patrick Crayton said. "That's the only way you can view it."

Since losing his starting wide receiver position to Miles Austin and briefly the punt return job to Allen Rossum, Patrick Crayton has scored three touchdowns in two games.

It's his third streak of at least two games with a touchdown over the last three seasons. On Sunday, November 1, 2009, he added three catches for 39 yards, including a big third-down grab on a drive that put the Cowboys up, 14-3, in the second quarter.

"He shows you how to be a professional, how to go about your job every day," Cowboy wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said. "Pat, I don't think he lets anything bother him."

Crayton, whose punt return average (16.6 yards) is better than his per catch average (14.6), should be applauded for how he has acted.

"Some may say, 'He's just doing what he's supposed to do,' " Crayton said. "That's how I look at it."

"Patrick's been nothing but a great teammate and player since he's been here," quarterback Tony Romo said. "He knows the competitive side of the game, the ups and the downs that go with it. What allows him to go forward and be successful is his mind and ability to keep working. For some reason, he always comes out on top. That's pretty good."

“He understands that he’s going to play a ton,” Romo said before a win over the Atlanta Falcons. “To think he’s not going to be a major part of this offense is wrong.”

“It’s a long season of ups and downs, and the mental side of the game is what it’s all about,” tight end Jason Witten said. “I think he did a great job of understanding those challenges and really just stepping up and being the same guy every day. And it showed on Sunday.”

"Week in and week out, you've got to prove yourself. If you don't they'll find somebody else. My job is to do whatever they ask me to do, plain and simple. I'm not going to ever lose confidence in myself and hopefully they don't , either."

--Patrick Crayton, about his role on the team after being demoted.

"It's never even been thought of mine that Patrick Crayton wouldn't walk out there and play like he'd just been named to the Pro Bowl. On any given play, I think he'll play that way. From my standpoint, thinging about this team, we shouldn't waok on eggshells over that kind of issue That's not the point here. The point is that we're all lucky to be here."

--Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys' owner, discussing the controversy that arose when it was reported that Crayton took offense to not being told about the decision to demote him by a coach, rather than the media.

LOOKING FORWARD AND IMPROVING

"For us, it's just about improving and getting better," Romo said. "I can say it 55,000 times, but it's true."

"We want to keep improving and keep trying to win games. That's been our motto all season," Romo said. "We don't really think about other teams. Our season is about the things we can control."

"This team has a good chemistry. They are hard workers. We have a lot of guys that play a role, whatever that is. They accept it and they try to do really well at that role."

--Wade Phillips.


Excerpts from Dallas News.com (November 2, 2009), Associated Press (November 1, 2009 and ESPN.com (November 1-2, 2009).

For more on mental conditioning, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

Fighting for an NFL Playoff Spot

“You find out what you are made of in tough times. We found that out not only in this game, but last week. You really have to care about winning, and it has got to really bother you when you lose. You have to be excited for guys when they make plays. It’s never about you, it’s about the team.”

--Brett Favre, New York Jets' Quarterback, after winning a game against the Buffalo Bills in the last 1 minute and 54 seconds. The win kept the Jets in a tie for the AFC East championship and in contention for a spot in the 2008 NFL playoffs.

Excerpts from the New York Times 12/15/2008.