The World's Most Successful Sport Team
I listened to a speech recently and learned about a famous sports team that I was not familiar with. The All Blacks rugby team from New Zealand is broadly considered the most successful sports team in the world. They have won 77% of their matches against the best teams in the world over the past 100+ years. Only 7 of the International teams that they play have ever beaten them. What has made them so successful over this long span of time?
This team is taught to embrace the expectations of excellence - to aim for the highest cloud. After studying the All Blacks team, the speaker identified some key characteristics that define them.
No one is bigger than the team.
It’s an honor, not a job.
Better never rests.
Willing to eat off the floor - never be too big to do the small things that need to be done.
Legacy - plant trees you’ll never see.
Nothing on this list is earth shattering. We have all heard these before in one context or another. What I find interesting about the list is the common thread that runs through them - humility.
We generally associate high achievers with swagger and extreme confidence. There is a place for some of that but those that truly achieve sustained success gain their confidence from a foundation of humility. They don’t consider themselves better than others, are willing to serve others, never rest on their laurels and feel privileged to be part of something bigger than themselves.
The older I get the more I realize how toxic pride is. It’s highly destructive to individuals, teams, companies and even churches. Scripture has many warnings about pride. The one that is most prevalent to me is:
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Today we celebrated Palm Sunday - Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He arrived not on a glorious stallion, but on a donkey. In Biblical times a donkey symbolized humility, peace, service and suffering. Sounds like a strong crossover to the core traits of the All Blacks team. How interesting…
Stay humble and hungry,
Big E
Matt 5:6