Do You Have a Championship Team?

by BJ Windhorst

As I watched the NBA Finals come to a close, I had to marvel at LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.  They are self-proclaimed leaders of the Miami Heat, leading their team to a second straight World Championship!
 At their level, the competition is nearly equal across the board. The players are evenly matched in physical ability and athletic potential  It got me to wondering what really makes the Heat a championship team?
 Let’s face it, the San Antonio Spurs with the great talent and leadership they possess, pushed the Heat to the brink.  Better talent is the easy answer for the why the Heat prevailed, but talent and ability can only take you so far.
 So what are the other key ingredients to dominating the field of professional basketball? After watching many games and interviews; and reading more than my share of articles about these two young, but already legendary leaders; three things stand out to me.  None of them are big surprises, but when effectively combined; they make these guys unstoppable.
 Commitment :  There is an unwaivering sense of commitment to the goals and vision of the organization -- winning championships. What comes along with that is  unselfishness, crystal clear focus on the task at hand, working hard each day to be even better. And then actually doing those things.
 Self – Evaluation:  LeBron James is, today, the greatest basketball player on the planet.  Dwayne Wade has a lock on a spot in the hall of fame, and is one of the top 50 players of all-time.
 But what I admire most about them both as leaders, is they readily admit they look in the mirror each day to identify their blind spots. Then, they work to eliminate them and get better at what they do.
 Do you think their always-room-for-improvement attitude rubs off on their teammates?  Do you think modeling this behavior brings their team even closer together and boosts their credibility? Do you think if you were a teammate theirs, you would want to give it your all?  You better believe it!
 Accountability:   There are a lot of people out there that love to hate LeBron.  This is comical to me, because there’s not a superstar in sports today that is more accountable to his teammates and the Miami Heat organization then LeBron James.  When things aren’t going well, we’ve heard him say over and over: “I have to be better”, “it’s on me”, “I have to get my teammates more involved for us to be successful”, “this is a team effort, and in order to win, we have to do it as a team”.
 Honestly, in any interview of any Heat player you will hear similar remarks. The level of accountability to the mission and task at hand is incredibly high, and it reflects their leader.  When you are accountable to something bigger than yourself, the sky is the limit!
 It’s been said,  “your people improve when your leaders improve”.  Great leaders make those around them better, by simply striving to improve in a few key areas each day.  Can we in the business world, learn a little something from LeBron, Dwayne, and the Miami Heat?
 I’m willing to bet on the fact that improvement in the three areas I mentioned, by any leader in any organization, will yield results that you have only dreamed about. Be committed, look in the mirror, and take responsibility!  Get to work building your championship team!