“Could you come over to our club and replicate the success you had at the Perth Wildcats,” is a question we get asked occasionally.
“Winning is about a hundred little things… goals… sacrifices… commitments… habits… accountabilities that compound over time,” is our initial response.
“If you can start by sending us a list of ten things your club is willing to do that none of your competitors are, we’ll review them and then book our flight.”
We rarely hear back!
Many sporting teams rely too much on their own intent, intelligence, wealth, talent or sense of superiority to win championships.
Occasionally they luck out! But it rarely lasts.
Too often, we take a short-term perspective seeking immediate gratification.
Successful eras are built on a commitment to incremental improvements and sacrifices over a prolonged period.
What will we consistently do that others won’t?
This was the quest: it started with the mind – a sports psychologist on staff; a full-time physiotherapist; a team of sports masseurs even on training days; breakfast and a cooked lunch; monitoring sleep; staying in the moment without digital distractions…the list was almost endless.
The little things.
Incrementally layered.
Improving every day.
Over time, it had a compounding effect…and a lasting one.
The most significant test was perseverance!
Because success is a lag indicator, and the early ones are minimal.
Take the success of 25-year-old college drop-out James Stephen Donaldson. He started a YouTube Channel in 2012 at the age of 13, reaching an audience of 15,000 viewers.
The following year his viewership dropped by more than half. But he persisted, making changes. In his third year, he reached 41,000 viewers and increased his following incrementally.
Trying new things.
Little things.
Persevering.
By his fifth year, he amassed a modest audience of 202,000.
It was not until his sixth year that he started to see the fruits of his labour and commitment. Over the ensuing eight years, he grew his audience to a following of 200 million and a massive 19 trillion viewers in the last year alone.
With annual earnings above $60 million and over $100 million net worth, Mr Beast, as he is known, is the world’s most-watched YouTuber.
To truly appreciate the compounding effect of committing to doing the little things better over time, we have included a graph of his viewership below.
