The Excellence lesson from Lombardi

The Super Bowl is this weekend and how can you think of the Green Bay Packers without thinking of Coach Lombardi?  He has become an icon for excellence that transcends sports.  We often see quotes and pictures of the legendary coach around people and things associated with success.


When I think about all the great achievements and the many different ways he has impacted leadership it starts to get overwhelming.  So I quickly click down into, "What's the take away for ME?"  In the spirit of keeping it simple, what are the thing(s) that I can relate to, understand, believe in, and realistically  implement?  If I get too fired up about too much, there will be NO meaningful takeaway.  I will just have a nice feel good moment and then go back to doing the same things...

I ran into a few Lombardi-isms this week but in the spirit of taking action, I've got to keep the list short and focused.  (Here is a long list of Lombardi quotes)

He used an Aristotle quote as the basis for the way he and his teams conducted themselves on the field and off the field.  When I feel like slacking, this is a go to thought for me.  When I'm tired and my kids are ready to give up, or give a lousy effort when practicing something, or when we would practice different sales approaches at meetings, I always tried to keep this in mind.  It's been a steady guide to keep us on track...

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence is not an art but a habit."

Thanks Coach.  Go Pack, GO!

Which Lombardi-ism has made an impact on you?