The Team Must Pay The Price

One of the reasons teams failed to pay the price to reach their potential is that they misunderstood the law of the price tag. They honestly don’t know how it works. Allow me to give you four facts about this law that will help to clarify it in your mind. 1. The price must be paid by everyone. You give up something to be sure, but you gain authenticity in return. If everyone doesn’t pay the price to win then everyone will pay the price by losing. 2. The price must be paid all of the time. Many people have what is called the destination disease. Some people mistakenly believe that if they can accomplish a particular goal they no longer have to grow. It can happen with almost anything...earning a degree, reaching a desired position, or achieving a financial goal. But effective leaders cannot afford to think that way. The day they stop growing is the day they forfeit their potential and the potential of their organization. The Destination disease is as dangerous as it is for any individual. It makes us believe that we can stop working. It stops driving us to pay the price. There is no substitute for work. It is the price for success. That truth never goes away. That’s why President Dwight D Eisenhower remarked there is no victories at bargain prices. If you want to reach your potential you can never let up. 3. The price increases if the team wants to improve change or keep winning. Have you ever noticed how few back to back champions there are in sports? Becoming a champion has a higher price. But remaining on top cost even more. And improving upon your best is even more costly. No one can move closer to his or her potential without paying the price in some way to get there. The same principle applies to teams to improve or keep winning. As a group, the team must pay a price and so must the individuals on it. 4. The price never decreases. The most people who quit don’t give up at the bottom of the mountain they stop halfway up it. Nobody sets out with the purpose of losing. No one can force a team member to have the will to succeed. Each member must decide in his or her own heart whether the goal is worth the price that must be paid.