Develop a Culture of Winning
By Coach Troy
Have you ever noticed how some athletic teams seem to have winning seasons year after year while others are either inconsistent or have back to back losing seasons? A couple of good examples in professional sports of winning teams would be the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball and the New England Patriots of the NFL. These teams have consistently been to the playoffs or championships in the past decade.
The reason these teams win so often is because winning is part of their corporate and team culture. Because of their rich history of success and a 'mystique' created by it, everyone involved in the organization -- from the back office to the coaches to the players, believe that they'll win no matter what. It's almost as if the belief that they'll win, no matter what the challenges, becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and the results speak for themselves.
A culture of winning can also be seen in successful companies. Apple Computers is a great example. Success breeds more success and from the industry leading IPod to the highly anticipated technology packed IPhone -- Apple demonstrated how momentum and a winning attitude can build a highly successful brand and unbelievable sales numbers.
As an endurance athlete, you too can develop your own personal culture of winning. Triathletes with incredible longevity and success like legends Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Scott Molina are perfect examples in multisport. They were successful in creating a foundation of high level confidence and 'winning attitude' that they would draw on in the heat of battle on race day and they did so over and over again. And you can do this too.
The foundation of confidence is created by your preparation, dedication and hard work in training. The more energy and time you spend in preparing your body and your mind for racing, the better of you'll be on race day. For example, your century rides and 20 mile training runs are crucial 'foundation' workouts to build confidence for the Ironman Distance whereas running hard mile repeats on the track will build your confidence for the 10K RR distance.
In a similar vein, you can cultivate a winning attitude by doing the things necessary to win (or at least reach your potential) ranging from getting adequate recovery from hard workouts to adhering to a high performance diet day after day. By taking action and doing things in your everyday life that support your desire to be the best you can be, you're creating an attitude of success that will carry over to your race results. Athletes who do not pay attention to the small details, never race to their potential and are always mediocre.
Developing your own culture of winning similar to the most successful professional sports teams, world class triathletes and companies is something you should strive to do in order to be your best. Do your homework by training hard, being consistent and living in a way that moves you towards your goals and you'll be developing your very own culture of winning.
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