Page 61 - How to Create a Winning Organization

“Ability may get you to the
Condition as a quality for the center of my The Heart of the Pyramid 43
Pyramid, I went well beyond physical top, but it takes character
conditioning. to stay there.”

I believe that to achieve one’s potential as a leader in any orga-
nization you need mental and moral strength. In fact, you cannot
attain proper physical fitness unless it’s preceded by mental and
moral Condition. How does one attain moral Condition? Long
lists of rules are the usual prescription, but I’ve offered a common-
sense method for decades: Practice moderation and balance in all
that you do. This advice, easy to remember, is also very effective.
Following a grueling basketball practice aimed, in part, at build-
ing up the players’ physical strength, I would advise them of the
following: “All we’ve worked so hard to accomplish on the court
today can be torn down quickly, in a matter of minutes, if you
make the wrong choices between now and our next practice.”
I cautioned them that when moderation and balance are lacking
in their choices and subsequent actions, the team can be damaged;
dissipation is destructive. To help them understand what I meant—
that accountability was their responsibility—I occasionally posted
the following reminder on our bulletin board or recited it to indi-
viduals about whom I had special concerns:

There is a choice you have to make,
in everything you do.
So keep in mind that in the end,
the choice you make, makes you.
—Anon.