The Law of Victory by John C. Maxwell

Author:John C. Maxwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Harpercollins Leadership
Published: 2010-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

THREE COMPONENTS OF VICTORY

Whether it’s a sports team, an army, a business, or a nonprofit organization, victory is possible as long as you have three components that contribute to a team’s dedication to victory.

1. UNITY OF VISION

Teams succeed only when the players have a unified vision, no matter how much talent or potential there is. A team doesn’t win the championship if its players are working from different agendas. That’s true in professional sports. That’s true in business. That’s true in nonprofits.

I learned this lesson in high school when I was a junior on the varsity basketball team. We had a very talented group of kids, and many people had picked us to win the state championship. But we had a problem. The juniors and seniors on the team refused to work together. It got so bad that the coach eventually gave up trying to get us to play together and divided us into two different squads for our games: one comprised of seniors, the other comprised of juniors. In the end the team had miserable results. Why? We didn’t share a common vision. People played for their fellow classmen, not the team.

2. DIVERSITY OF SKILLS

It almost goes without saying that a team needs diversity in skills. Can you imagine a whole hockey team of goalies? Or a football team of quarterbacks? How about a business where there are only salespeople or nothing but accountants? Or a nonprofit organization with just fundraisers? Or only strategists? It doesn’t make sense. Every organization requires diverse talents to succeed.

Some leaders have blind spots in this area. In fact, I used to be one of them. I’m embarrassed to say there was a time in my life when I thought that if people would just be more like me, they would be successful. I’m wiser now and understand that every person has something to contribute. We’re all like parts of the human body. For that body to do its best, it needs all of its parts, each doing its own job.

I recognize how each person on my team contributes using his or her unique skills, and I express my appreciation for them. The newer you are to leadership and the stronger your natural leadership ability, the more likely you will be to overlook the importance of others on the team. Don’t fall into that trap.

3. A LEADER DEDICATED TO VICTORY AND RAISING PLAYERS TO THEIR POTENTIAL

It’s true that having good players with diverse skills is important. As former Notre Dame head football coach Lou Holtz says, “You’ve got to have great athletes to win, I don’t care who the coach is. You can’t win without good athletes, but you can lose with them. This is where coaching makes the difference.” In other words, you also require leadership to achieve victory.

Unity of vision doesn’t happen spontaneously. The right players with the proper diversity of talent don’t come together on their own. It takes a leader to make those things happen. It takes a leader to provide the motivation, empowerment, and direction required to win.

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