Professional Documents
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About Champion
About Champion
That was at least the substance of the talk. The point that we have been trying to
convey is that everybody has a role to play in the scheme of thing in order get us closer
to our higher objectives.
The reason for highlighting the role and importance of a champion in a business context
is actually a simple one. we have a number of ideas and goals and initiatives that we
want to act upon and there is no shortage in terms of work or what we would like to see
happen.
But many times, an idea are put out and is discussed in meetings and even when it
seems like everybody has bought into it, but as time rolls on, it simply doesn’t seem to
take off from the ground. The idea seems to stay as an idea with little movement
We realized inherently what is needed to bring ideas to life, and our thought is that it
requires someone in every team and at every level who can champion it as a worthy
cause and relentlessly go about it with a lot of zeal
Without a champion, an idea will simple stay as an idea or troll along without bearing
fruit and it may even go to waste as we lose to both time and competition in the market
place.
“We will know when we see them”. With champions, It’s all in the results because when
they take over, the results improve so significantly, one has to be blind to not be able to
see.. They are identified by results and they are inseparable from the results that they
produce
Stagnant sales “suddenly go up 10 or 20 percent or Staff who were disenchanted and
quitting “suddenly seem engaged and into what they’re doing”. Service levels are better
and eventually the financial results are also better
These are people who can magically take things to the next level, in fact complete
things that seem to be dragging for ages or move a cause forward that previously
completely languishing and under-performing.
We have many opportunities for creating that champion in you and we want to
encourage you to seize the moment and realize your true potential through the work you
will do.
Those who are committed to make it happen and will always find a way. The opposite is
also true. Those who lack commitment will always find a series of excuses. Every day,
we get to choose what we focus on… reasons why we can or excuses why we can’t. It’s
up to us to choose wisely!
“Change starts with you but it doesn’t start until you do”
One of the best: “If there isn’t a champion, she wrote, “somebody who says, ‘this is my
thing, this is what drives me,’ then nothing happens.
People who do the above are the ones that ultimately get the best results. That plays
out the same whether their work is in community service, a for-profit business, teaching
college or raising children. The glamour wears off quickly. The results separate an
effective champion from a well-intended, hard-working, but less-effective, peer. The
bottom line is that when successful champions take the lead, service gets better, staff
morale improves, financial results brighten, and everyone wins.
Effective champions:
1. Have a Vision
A vision, as we define it at Zingerman’s, is a positive picture of the future, pegged to a particular point
in time and holding enough measurable matter that you know whether it has been achieved. Another
name for visioning is “positive futuring or the phrase from Stephen Covey, author of the seminal The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People, “Beginning with the end in mind.
b) Strategically sound. They have a viable shot at becoming a reality. The key is to find a balance
between what gets everyone pumped up and what can actually be achieved.
c) Documented. That means written down. There’s enormous power in putting the vision on paper (or
at least on the computer) where others can and will read it.
Effective champions have a vision, causing others to be inspired to contribute at greater levels than
they would normally. To quote from the late writer, professor and managment consultant Peter
Drucker, “The effective manager raises the eyes of his/her people from preoccupation with problems
to a vision of opportunity, from concern with weakness to exploitation of strengths. Most people want
to be part of something greater than themselves. An effective vision shows them what that “something
is.
4. Hustle
I’ve become more conscious of the value of the intangible that the sports world has long recognized as
“hustle. Effective champions do it. They are moving, on the move, getting things done, not waiting
around. I’m not suggesting that they’re running recklessly, or with some manic sense of misplaced
urgency. This is more an approach of moving steadily and efficiently with a purpose. They don’t waste
huge amounts of energy.
7. Use Resources
This is one of the areas in which I see the biggest gap between those who successfully champion a
project and those who do not. Successful champions consistently take constructive advantage of
resources that others—who often have far greater needs—seem to ignore, pooh-pooh, or put off using
until later. These resources could include customers who want to help; staff interested in getting
involved; or industry peers who could offer insight, experience and empathy. There are numerous
learning resources like websites, classes, books, seminars, etc. And, at least around here, “new
resources often include simply starting to follow systems, recipes and processes that we’d long ago
agreed to use but somehow hadn’t.
8. Stay Positive
Although everybody gets down and has bad days, champions seem to just stay upbeat. They notice
little things that contribute to the cause (and tell people that they’ve noticed); they appreciate the
contributions of those around them, and joke in the face of adversity. Their co-workers respond to that
positive energy.
You can be the most visionary, charismatic and enthusiastic leader but it’s still critical to pay attention
to the little things. Effective champions totally, regularly, watch the details, which is very different
from micromanaging. They see when people get things right and appreciate those successes. They
notice the fine points of failure—spots on windows, less-than-enthusiastic phone service, spelling
mistakes. They do not have any illusion that the details just get done. Big successes start with great
visions, but they’re built on successful implementation of the little things.
In case you think this comes from some sort of military or sports mindset, remember this quote from
the Dalai Lama, “Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted, the leader must
be doubly vigilant.