The Unsexy Truth About Excellence
"Victory awaits him who has everything in order, ‘luck’ people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time, this is called ‘bad luck.’"
- Roald Amundsen
In my work with growth-oriented companies, a consistent theme emerges when discussing management challenges with leaders. Their team members often have it in their heads that some innovative strategy, talent or luck will get them to where they want to be. Often this is done while overlooking the power of fundamentals and consistent execution.
Elite performers achieve outsized results - not just with strategy, talent and by being in the right place at the right time, but by taking the steps required for advancement regularly. In her book "The Right Call," Sally Jenkins talks about the physical deception of Stephen Curry.
Curry, whose seemingly effortless shooting seems to defy reality and who glides smoothly up and down the court, "shocked" Jenkins when she touched his hands. Her expectation was of smooth hands aligning with his smoothness experienced elsewhere. Instead, she “…felt slabs of rough, coarse, flaking callouses.”
It was then that she “understood that Curry's ease with a basketball wasn't easy at all. It was produced by two thousand practice shots a week, a labor that rubbed his hands raw." What appears as natural talent is actually the product of relentless repetition.
This dedication to fundamentals is something his coach, Steve Kerr, emphasizes when coaching. In this clip from the Netflix docuseries “Court of Gold,” Kerr tells his US Olympic Team player Anthony Edwards, “You’ve got another level you can get to, but it's all the little boring stuff,” and points to how hard Hall of Famers also on the Olympic team, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, work.
It's always the little boring stuff.
The young executives I meet often share this misconception about success: looking for shortcuts or hacks to skip steps on the ladder. They want the corner office without the callouses.
But here's the unsexy truth that most high-performers know: excellence isn't achieved through grand, dramatic gestures. It's built through consistent, often mundane actions performed with precision and care over time.
Last May, I wrote about the importance of the basics and how when working with companies looking for answers, we often return to fundamentals. Frequently, the solution to complex organizational problems isn't some innovative new strategy – it's properly executing the basics.
When organizations struggle with alignment or productivity challenges, the conversation often comes back to fundamental questions:
Are your teams clear on priorities? Have you established consistent communication rhythms? Do you have systems to track progress against goals?
None of this is revolutionary. None of it will make headlines. But these basics, done well and consistently, create the foundation for exceptional organizations.
Remember the story of Amundsen and Scott racing to the South Pole? Amundsen reached it first not because he pushed dramatically harder on good days, but because he insisted on consistent progress – exactly 20 miles every single day regardless of conditions. Scott's team, which pushed hard when conditions were favorable and rested when they weren't, never made it back alive.
The lesson is clear: consistency trumps intensity.
This principle applies whether you're building a company or developing yourself as a leader. Those who achieve sustainable success don't look for silver bullets. They accept that excellence requires developing and sticking to processes, and having the discipline to do the boring things consistently.
As I've written before, mediocrity is easy to scale. Excellence is a step-by-step process that takes more time and attention. One pays dividends tomorrow but lacks value over time. The other forces an investment in the future.
Yes, sometimes luck happens. Sometimes opportunities find us. But the people who seem to have all the "lucky breaks" have usually been putting in the work long before the opportunity arrived. They've been building their skills, expanding their networks, and mastering fundamentals while others were looking for shortcuts.
They've been shooting those two thousand practice shots a week.
My challenge to you: identify the fundamentals in your role or organization that create the foundation for excellence. The boring, unsexy basics that, when mastered, make everything else possible.
Send me a note if this resonates with you or your team. I'd love to hear about the fundamentals that drive success in your world.
Here’s to shooting your shots - so you can take your shot… BG
P.S. Speaking of mastering the fundamentals, we've been hard at work on our own basics—consistently refining how we communicate about what we do at The Buckeye Group. We're excited to share our newly updated website that reflects our commitment to our "People-powered profitability®" framework, and the consistent excellence we help middle-market companies achieve.
Visit us at thebuckeyegroup.com to explore how we help organizations execute the fundamentals that drive sustainable growth. Like Stephen Curry's thousands of practice shots, we've been putting in the work to clearly articulate our value. No shortcuts, just clarity about how we help clients build their callouses of excellence.
Looking to level up your business, transform your teams, unlock new opportunities, and build stable, sustainable growth through your people? There’s nothing like the value of a conversation. Let’s talk it through.
Click here to schedule a call.