March Madness takes hold every spring as we watch college basketball teams battle it out. Schools both large and small, take to the hardwood to compete for the right to move on in the tournament. The seeding of the teams always creates those classic Superpower – underdog match-ups. Yet as hope springs eternal in late march, there are always bracket busting Cinderella stories.
This year, Xavier University, the Jesuit University in Cincinnati, has gone farther than most thought possible. They were a #11 seed and beat #6 Maryland in the first round and crushed the number #3 seed Florida State in the second round. The Musketeers were heavy underdogs in both games. So what was Coach Chris Mack’s secret in winning, and how might this apply to us business owners?
Well Xavier’s success on the court is a product of the academic culture they have built for the players off the court. The University’s basketball program just reached 100 seniors in a row who have graduated since the 1985-86 season. And during the same streak of graduating perfection for seniors, the Musketeers managed to go to 23 NCAA tournaments and seven Sweets 16’s.
That graduation streak started in ’85 when a nun, Sister Rose Anne Fleming, became the academic advisor of the team. Through her work, the University built a culture of study for the players. Supported by the collaboration of the coaching staff and faculty, Sister Rose makes sure the players get a good education. Sure they get talented athletes, but by focusing on the more important things (education) and building the right learning culture for their players, Xavier has become a great basketball program and wins consistently.
Xavier’s holistic blueprint has relevance for companies seeking that competitive performance edge. Winning in business requires individual performance supported by culture and teamwork. When a business tills its cultural soil with the right elements, it develops talent faster and cultivates higher employee buy-in.
When employees develop faster with higher levels of engagement, customers notice. So your company may want to investigate getting their own customized version of a “Sister Rose.” When a company is focused on the big picture of corporate culture, customer satisfaction, and employee training, it’s more apt to throw winning Hail Mary passes on its way to consistently outperforming competitors.
Questions? Comments? Please email me at [email protected]