14 Habits Of Unsuccessful Organizations

Have you ever been part of a unsuccessful organization?  An organization with a culture of dysfunction and poor performance?  An organization of negativity and poor attitudes?  An organization which lacks vision and remains directionless?  An organization with poor leadership and a hopeless future?
I have.  And as I reflect on those days I can feel my body tensing up even as I type these words.  Many of you can relate.
As I listened to the ESPN College Gameday crew discuss the Texas Longhorns football team following last week’s 38-3 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, I gleaned the following 14 Habits Of Unsuccessful Organizations.  Whether you are a church, business, non-profit or sports team, this list will help you.

1. Unsuccessful Organizations Lack Institutional Knowledge – They are inexperienced.  The Longhorns currently start two freshman offensive linemen.  In fact, Texas played 21 freshman against Notre Dame.
2. Unsuccessful Organizations Have Not Developed Leaders – The team’s quarterback lacks experience as well.
3. Unsuccessful Organizations Are Unprepared – Though they had all summer to prepare, the team was not ready for the prime time game in South Bend against a quality Fighting Irish team.
4. Unsuccessful Organizations Are Unproductive – Texas has scored only two touchdowns in their last three games.
5. Unsuccessful Organizations Have No Momentum – During those three games, 46.7% of Texas’s offensive plays have gone for zero or negative yards.
6. Unsuccessful Organizations Quickly Panic – Head Coach Charlie Strong changed his offensive coordinators after the FIRST game of the season.
7. Unsuccessful Organizations Do Not Work Hard – The Longhorns exerted minimal effort against Notre Dame.  Observers said they lack “fight”.
8. Unsuccessful Organizations Lack Pride – They do not ruthlessly self-evaluate.
9. Unsuccessful Organizations Have Poor Leadership – Since the 2009 graduation of Colt McCoy and Sergio Kindle, the team has lacked on-field leadership.  No one is holding anyone accountable for their performance..
10. Unsuccessful Organizations Are Easily Discouraged – After falling behind only 7-0 against Notre Dame, reports were the team began to panic.
11. Unsuccessful Organizations Do Not Work Hard – They do not pay the necessary price for success.
12. Unsuccessful Organizations Are Inconsistent – The Longhorns offense lacks a playing personality.  They are trying to decide if they are a pro-style or spread offense.
13. Unsuccessful Organizations Do Not Have A Sense Of Hope – Coach Strong looks depressed and defeated in news conferences.  There is a lack of energy and optimism.
14. Unsuccessful Organizations Are Not Attracting New Leaders – As of this writing, the Longhorns have only nine commitments for their 2016 recruiting class.  This barely places them in the top 40 of college football.

If your organization is currently unsuccessful, what is one thing you can take from this list to make you better?

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