Bill Walsh was quoted as saying "Champions behave like champions before they're champions: they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners." To me, that's the difference between being a "winner" and a champion. Any dumb [NAUGHT|Y WORD RESCINDED] can "win", but only someone who is truly dedicated to the effort can become a "champion".

 

You become a Champion and have winning expectations by having a standard for everything that you do, and reinforcing that standard throughout whatever organization it is that you're a part of. Put a critical, but encouraging eye on every task that's laid out so that a player / person knows what success is. Then, as they start achieving that small success on an individual level, they begin to expect success at every opportunity. 

 

But that's not all. If you take out the emotional stigma of a loss and develop the mentality that every situation is an opportunity for growth / learning, then the people become self-correcting. As they fail, their attitude, effort, and enthusiasm does not waiver. They approach each situation individually and work towards achieving the standard, even during less-than-ideal conditions.

 

Not all winners are champions, but all champions are winners.

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