Rule 4: Champions have PRIDE – a Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence

In this chapter Coach teaches his four athletes the importance of taking responsibility - he encourages them to make their own decisions and to follow their own beliefs.

Coach’s style is not autocratic or dictatorial; he carefully steers his young talent and arms them with the skills to cope for themselves.

The culture he encourages in the group he has put together is one that has no blame. Making error, as Coach would say, is the way we grow. Coach would suggest that there is no such thing as failure; the only failure is giving up.

The message is strong. It teaches us the importance of learning and adapting to what we have experienced.

This is an extract from the book where Coach is making one of his speeches. He has gathered his small group and is laying down this rule, the 4th of the 12 rules for success:

“Champions decide to be accountable for each aspect within their control. There is never blame for mistakes, just a way of learning from an experience. You will see that the worst thing to do is to make no decision, and that learning from error is part of being a Champion. Every time a Champion makes a decision they have a chance to learn something new, regardless of the outcome.

“Champions take responsibility for their performance and understand consequence.”

‘Coach’ from ‘The Champion In All Of Us’

So this chapter is all about accountability. As coach would say…”If it’s going to be, it’s up to me”