CREATING A WINNING CULTURE by Velma Forde

C R E A T I N G A Winning Culture

Have you ever wondered how winners become winners?

When I was growing up in Chicago our family was die hard Chicago Bulls fans, but at that time, the Bulls were not that good until the team acquired this young college phenom named Michael Jordan. This one decision that management made set their course on a path of winning. We all know one person cannot do everything on a team, and they realized this quickly. So, they set out to acquire other individuals who would complement his productivity, and by working together they created a winning team that not only won at home, but also on the road. In this example, we see the framework of how winning can be achieved not only from our own efforts, but from the efforts of those who are our teammates. The question is asked, why were the Bulls able to outperform their competitors? Was it talent? Absolutely! Was it discipline? You bet it was! Was it strategy? Without a doubt! Was it hard work? Of course! But, above all that, creating a winning culture is at the heart of competitive advantage.

Let’s go back for a moment. How did the Bulls create their winning culture? They created a winning team that consisted of players who were at the top of their game in their assigned positions on the court. Each team player stayed in his lane and worked on being the best in his position. One player did not try to outshine the other but instead used individual skills and strengths and combined them with others to create winning plays; plays that allowed them to dominate on the court and score more baskets, allowing them to reach their team goal of winning.

Here are three important keys to creating a winning culture:

Loyalty is at the heart of a winning culture. It attracts people who want to be part of your team or circle, and it motivates you to do the right thing—not just the easy thing—and in turn, people not only know what they should do, but why they should do it. Loyalty is treasured because it lets us take the risk of foreseeing the deeds of people we trust. These times require us to re-prioritize some people and some things. Don’t feel bad about it!

V E L M A

F O R D E

Winning is never about what you can do as a person alone.

Velma Forde

Trust is also essential in building a winning culture, and it causes one to feel safe and respected. Having an environment of trust is significant to attracting like-minded people. When there is no trust, it is highly unlikely that people will want to collaborate with you or lend a helping hand. Not everyone who says “I’m a team player” is trustworthy, that’s why it’s important to do your due diligence when seeking out the “ right” people in which to partner. Don’t hoard information for yourself. The people you ’re building trust with are usually people that you should be working with collaboratively. Share the information so they can succeed too! You want to create an environment where people feel safe, respected, and comfortable sharing their feelings, ideas, and thoughts. This will lead to long-lasting relationships.

Consistency. Picture this…have you ever gone to a job and had co-workers who didn’t pull their weight on a day-today basis? Was the company better because of their inconsistencies? Absolutely not! Do you think this type of behavior could fly for a long period of time without a total breakdown at some point? Consistency is another key to a winning culture. You may start out with a bang and on a high note but maintaining that performance over time is fundamental to long-term success. If Michael Jordan could only perform in the first quarter and then slacked off the rest of the game, he would have never been considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Likewise, in any profession, consistency is essential to winning!

Having a winning culture isn’t always the easiest to achieve. It’s a continuous effort of building. Winning is when you are happy with the outcome regardless of the score. It’s a mindset; a peace within that’s comforting and healing. It’s knowing you gave everything you had to give even though it may not have been enough.

As we contemplate creating a winning culture, please keep in mind the importance of celebrating victories along the way, no matter the size— super-sized or bite-sized! Winning cultures are best measured through our day-to-day activities and constant improvement! Make more choices that are intentional and let yourself be the person you ’ ve always wanted to be. Spend more time with people who make you laugh and feel loved. Stop wasting your thoughts over what could have been. If it should have been, it would have been. Live in the present (right now). You can’t move forward looking through the rearview mirror. Don’t overthink! Tell all the thoughts running around in your head to get somewhere and sit down! There will be some wins and some losses. Don’t let the wins go to your head or the losses go to your heart.

Winning is never about what you can do as a person alone. There is always going to be someone who helps lead you down your path of success. Doing things by yourself can be extremely challenging at times. By working together with one unified goal, you can achieve anything and together we all win and enjoy the culture we’ ve created!