7 Success Lessons from World Cup Winners: Achieve Your Cycle of Success

The ticker tape parade in NYC last Friday was a well-deserved home coming celebration for our USA Women’s World Cup Soccer champions. Their amazing win against defending champion Japan on July 5 was a climatic burst of electrifying fireworks for our national holiday weekend celebration. After waiting 16 years to bring the trophy home again, this team could not be denied. When Wombach stated pre-match, “We have to bring the fire,” she was prophetic. The most watched soccer match in US history, this blow-out statistic will go down in the sports annals: 26.7 million US viewers. And by the way, the men’s World Cup drew only 17.3 million US viewers in July, 2014. Advertisers and promoters take note — women athletes can draw a crowd! This spectacular win is great for the team, the sport, women’s athletics and for the nation. We love winners and this World Cup team defines for us all what a true winner is. This team and the individual players provide a model you can emulate for your own success. What are the SUCCESS lessons?

1. Stay the Course: First of all, these World Cup winners never gave up their goal to win back the trophy. Tenacity is essential to any successful endeavor whether business or personal. You can have natural talent, great training, every opportunity and advantage, but without perseverance your efforts will fall short of your potential. This team waited 16 years for a repeat win – now that is staying the course!
2. Unite: Our World Cup winners demonstrated true teamwork. Each team member had a specific role to play and throughout the match moved the ball down the field like a choreographed precision dance. It was riveting to watch their foot work, the intricate pass offs to one another, the long shots down field, the short spikes past beleaguered competitors, and the scoring rifle kicks perfectly angled high in the net to evade the helplessly short reach of the goalie’s gaudy gloves. Abby Wombach shared in her captivating pre-match monologue, “I’ve literally grown up on this team. The good, the bad, and the ugly, my teammates have helped me through it all. The biggest thing I need to express is my gratitude, to be able to have played for so long, to share the field with extraordinary women.” (View Wombach’s video: http://www.businessinsider.com/abby-wambach-interview-before-world-cup-final-2015-7) They showed us what true teamwork requires – strategy, collaboration, well-defined roles, exceptional execution, and esprit de corps. This team was in sync with one another!

   Lest you object that your goals do not involve a team, keep in mind that no one succeeds solely alone. Wombach also thanked her family, friends, and fans for their support and sacrifice. Consider too the teachers, coaches, mentors, colleagues, collaborators, partners, sponsors, and even strangers who along the way have encouraged and helped you to achieve your goals. They may not be united in the sense of a traditional team, yet their contributions are indispensable to your success. Even on a deserted island one is not alone, as the presence of God is a constant help.

3. Concentrate on the Positive: The positive expectation of success is a given for winners. There were no doubts throughout the match, and I dare say they believed they could win for 16 years! Whatever it takes, regardless of how long the journey lasts, winners expect to win. Wombach challenged in her pre-match interview, “If you have a dream, you have to risk everything. When you fall down you have to get back up… I know we can do it. We’ve just got to believe.”
4. Cultivate Fitness: The team and each player worked hard to be in their best shape for their match. Whether you are in pursuit of a physical, educational, career, business, or personal goal, you must be prepared for the “match” you are playing. These ladies were fit physically, mentally, and emotionally. They worked out, practiced the essential skills, competed, and worked out some more. They won more goals in the second half of matches than any other team they played, because they were in exceptional shape. For a sense of the hard work required, Carli Lloyd had a grueling six-hour a-day training regimen plus at least 90 minutes a night of leg-burning endurance training. She shared, “I’ve been taking practice kicks every day after practice for seven or eight months.” And by the way, for those of you who may feel past your prime, Abby Wombach at 35 and Christie Rampone at 40 demonstrated that age is not the deciding factor in winning. Their natural talent and experience could not alone carry them to this spectacular win, but endurance through hard work did!
5. Execute: Preparation and a plan of action to gain the prize are also essential to any success. These World Cup winners demonstrated what is required to possess depth of talent, execute flawlessly, and lead with finesse. They were prepared. They anticipated the other team’s moves. They had a plan and implemented it aggressively and with precision. Whatever your effort involves, an important key to success is preparation and planning.
6. Score: Just to show they could win goals early in a match, in Sunday’s final they scored four goals in 27 minutes. Talk about fireworks — how did they do that?! Determined focus to put goals on the board early was a clear goal. Their domination required excellence in defense and offense. They were in possession of the ball more than in any other match. Even for the casual sports fan, this was a marvel to watch. Whatever your goal, you must maintain your focus throughout execution and track your progress. Metrics matter. How are you measuring your success? In business we track every aspect of financial and operational execution. In education we give grades, test skills and knowledge, and award degrees. In the non-profit arena we measure funding and lives served. Whatever your endeavor, develop a “score board” to win goals at every step of your journey to success. And while you are measuring, remember what Wombach said, “It’s not just about wins and losses and championships. It’s about learning, growing, and being you.”
7. Show Heart: World Cup winners have something else that we do well to emulate. They have heart. Not only did they believe in themselves, this team cared about one another and loved their sport. They dedicated their lives for years to win the prize, yes, but they also were passionate. Whatever you commit to do, be certain it is something you love doing with people you can embrace. As Wombach closed her heart-felt monologue she declared, “Whatever I am asked to do, I ‘m going to do a little extra… No one is perfect, but if we make mistakes, I know everyone on the team and the fans have our back. That is inspiring.”

Create Your Cycle of Success



Adapted from Job Search: The Total System, 4th edition

The 2015 USA World Cup winners will be remembered for a long time. They will inspire millions of young people not only to play soccer, but to win in life through perseverance, fitness, focus, teamwork, positive expectation, preparation, planning, and passion. They demonstrated par excellence what we call the Cycle of Success. By possessing a positive expectation of success, linking all the crucial success attributes and behaviors, and creating psychological leverage on the journey to achieve one’s dream, you can succeed at your passion. Whatever your stage in life and career, take to heart the lessons of our fabulous, fourth-of-July, fire-cracker World Cup Soccer champions, and you too can be a world-class winner in your chosen endeavor.

Sheryl Dawson
Dawson Consulting Group