Three More Strong Blocks: Condition, Skill, and Team Spirit

In the third tier I put what I think is the heart of the Pyramid. It may seem to apply to athletics alone, but it doesn’t. The personal characteristics in the third tier apply equally to individuals and teams anywhere.

These blocks are condition, skill, and team spirit.

Condition

You must be conditioned for whatever you’re doing if you’re going to do it to the best of your ability. There are different types of conditioning for different professions. A deep-sea diver has different conditioning requirements from a salesperson. A surgeon has different physical conditioning requirements from a construction worker. A ceo has different conditioning requirements from a food server.

You must add to physical conditioning mental and moral conditioning. I stressed all forms of conditioning for my teams.

Some believed my players were simply in better physical condition than the competition. They may have been, but they also had tremendous mental and emotional conditioning.

You must identify your conditioning requirements and then attain them. Without proper conditioning in all areas, you will fall short of your potential.

It is impossible to attain and maintain desirable physical condition without first achieving mental and moral condition.

Skill

At the very center of the Pyramid is skill. You have to know what you’re doing and be able to do it quickly and properly.

I had players at UCLA who were great shooters. Unfortunately they couldn’t get off any shots so they didn’t help us. I had players who could get off plenty of shots but couldn’t shoot a lick. You need both; the ability to do it quickly and properly.

Skill means being able to execute all of your job, not just part of it.

It’s true whether you’re an athlete or an attorney, a surgeon or a sales rep, or anything else. You’d better be able to execute properly and quickly. That’s skill. As much as I value experience, and I value it greatly, I’d rather have a lot of skill and little experience than a lot of experience and a little skill.

Team Spirit

The last block in the third tier is team spirit. This means thinking of others. It means losing oneself in the group for the good of the group. It means being not just willing but eager to sacrifice personal interest or glory for the welfare of all.

There is a profound difference between mere willingness and eagerness. A prisoner on a chain gang may be willing to break rocks to avoid punishment. But how eager is he?

Of course, we all want to do well and receive individual praise. Yes, that’s fine, if you put it to use for the good of the team, whatever your team is: sports, business, family, or community.

Team spirit means you are willing to sacrifice personal considerations for the welfare of all. That defines a team player.