Wisdom Wednesdays: Vince Lombardi — Be Excellent

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Vince Lombardi was a game changing coach of the Green Bay Packers. When he first became the head coach of the Packers, after being a high school coach and assistant at Fordham University, the Army, and the Giants, he was taking over for a team that went 1-10-1 in a town that most people couldn’t find on a map.

But he won 5 NFL championships including Super Bowl 1 and 2, never had a losing season, and built one of the most disciplined, values-driven dynasties in sports history.

Lombardi led through uncompromising standards, relentless preparation, and deep care for people, believing that excellence is built through daily habits and moral clarity — not motivation or talent alone.

He once said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

Excellence is being outstanding or extremely good. Excellence is consistently doing better or more than average — or even good.

Define what excellence is in your world, the standards you need to live by, and the things you need to do to be excellent.

And clearly define it for the people you work with, play with, and lead.

Lombardi’s Packers were known for running the same few plays over and over again, including the Packer’s Sweep. Teams knew it was coming but couldn’t stop it. That’s excellence. They had a clear gameplan, clear standards and they executed at the highest level.

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