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We all love a winner.

Many of us love it when the underdog wins.

We are inspired by the efforts of an individual or a team that seems to scale great heights (and depths) to reach their objective. Many times, in developing management and leadership teams we often refer to sporting heroes. In fact, it can sometimes be too easy to refer to these icons of sport when referring to business. And, I think it is also unfair at times to do this.

Why?

Consider the following equations:

• High Performing Sporting teams practice often (all the time?) and play, by comparison, very little.

• Business teams play a lot (all the time?) and yet rarely actually practice.

And yet, every business manager or leader, valuable team membernand associate would want to consider themselves ‘high performing’ or ‘world class’ or, at least, at the top of their tree.

But how can they do it when, compared with sporting teams, they never practice?

How do you practice your business practice?

Mostly it comes through experience. Years of trial and error to slowly grow towards the business person you want to become.

Many people get themselves mentors. Wise heads who will act as a sounding board and throw back ideas to their protege, or deliver cold hard feedback when they are seriously off track.

Others will practice their patter outside of work. Those in sales will get in front of their mirror. Some managers will seek out HR when the y need feedback on how to deliver bad news.

Still others will put it down to planning - "failing to plan is planning to fail."

But, how do you get your team to become above average? There’s precious little time to practice. There are fewer resources to cover for you while you take them out on the training track.

So what do you do?

The pressure to perform is always there? How do you get over the hurdle and almost guaranteeing a good result?

There will always be good and bad economic times. And yet, regardless of those times, there will alwys be high performing businesses.

Those businesses do something to help them stay on top of their game.

What is it? Does your team do it?

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