LA Rams Matthew Stafford: Are we having fun yet?

A winning culture

The LA Rams had created a winning culture. Since the arrival of head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have never had a losing season. The team has gone 11-5, 13-3, 9-7, and 10-6. That’s pretty amazing because this team has done so with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. But one of the ways this team remains successful is the ability to self-diagnose challenges before they become problems. Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was no longer having fun playing for the LA Rams. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was no longer having fun playing for the Detroit Lions.

Having fun is half the battle in competition.

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life“.  – Unknown

If you are doing something that you love to do, it changes everything. From the moment you wake up until your head finally hits the pillow at night, you feel energized, refreshed. You laugh louder, you focus more intensely, you train more earnestly. You feel fewer aches and pains, and you celebrate the successes with more enthusiasm.

It’s all about creating a winning culture. A winning culture strives to improve, but studies and learns from mistakes. It is a culture about fixing broken processes and eliminating the blame game in troubleshooting. It is what separates a Super Bowl Champion team from its competitors. Author Nathan Jamail describes a winning culture thusly:

"“A winning culture, then, is a culture that sets the stage for positive attitudes, high expectations, and successful performances. A winning team wants to win, prizes winning, and gives their all to win the game. To create a winning culture, what must you do? First, position people in roles for which they are best suited based on their likes, interests, attributes, and skillsets. Second, make tough decisions when they need to be made. Third, hold the team members accountable for your game plan and expectations. Fourth, get team buy-in. A winning culture can’t come only from the leader; it also has to arise from the team.” – per Nathan Jamail’s What is a Winning Culture?"

The LA Rams want to sustain a winning culture. It’s that mindset that makes everything else possible.  So how do they do that? Well, they offer something more than money. For veterans, it’s a team that understands the presence of elite veterans means requires caring for them, working with them and not to them or at them. For younger players, it’s affording them the chance to train with elite players. In both cases, it’s beyond the money. It’s the chance to create something very special.