The Premortem

Defining Winning and Losing Before the Season Decides for You

One of the most effective leadership tools I have used over the years is the premortem.

A premortem is a simple but powerful exercise where you imagine the season has already ended, either in success or failure, and then work backward to identify the behaviors, standards, and decisions that led there.

Instead of waiting until the season is over to explain success or failure, the premortem asks you to imagine both outcomes in advance, then work backward to identify what actually drives them.

That approach aligns with how elite leaders prepare. As Colin Powell said:

“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

Pressure is a way of exposing culture. Preparation must go beyond the Xs and Os of strategy. It is the standards you live by and the behaviors you repeat daily that ultimately decide outcomes.

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Goals Are Not Enough

Every team sets goals, and goals matter.
They clarify what you are trying to achieve.

But goals alone are not enough.

You must clearly define the behaviors required to achieve those goals. Without that clarity, goals remain intentions instead of results.

The premortem creates that clarity early.

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The Championship Premortem

What Did We Do Daily?

Early in the offseason, I meet with the leadership group. I am standing at the front of the room, marker in hand, whiteboard behind me.

I ask them to imagine this:

“The season is over. We just completed a championship year. When we look back, what did that look like?”

I write their feedback word for word on the whiteboard.

Not the record.
Not the trophies.
What we did every day.

Championship Behaviors

• Daily standards in preparation
  Showed up every day with energy and focus. Training, meetings, and recovery were handled at a championship level.

• Disciplined evaluation and correction
  Execution was assessed daily. Mistakes were identified, corrected, and not repeated.

• Team first mentality
  Strong relationships, clear communication, and trust. Players held each other accountable, supported one another, and had each other’s backs.

It is incredibly powerful when the team identifies the difference between winning and losing behaviors themselves. Those shared definitions become shared values that the team can commit to and chase together.

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Behaviors That Lead to Failure

Then I flip the conversation and ask them to imagine a disappointing season.

“When we look back, what behaviors led us here?”

• Eroded standards
  Small lapses became acceptable. The basics were treated as optional instead of foundational.

• Emotional roller coaster
  Confidence rose and fell with results. Performance was driven by emotion rather than preparation.

• Self centered behavior
  The team splintered. Finger pointing replaced accountability, communication broke down, and trust eroded.

Failure is rarely sudden. Little compromises are made over time. People look the other way. When issues are not addressed immediately, they grow, and teams often do not realize it until it is too late.

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Why Player Ownership Matters

When players define both success and failure, ownership follows.

Those shared definitions become a reference point all season long. When adversity hits, you do not need speeches or emotion. You simply return to what the team already agreed upon.

“This is the standard we set.”

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Final Thought

The premortem does not predict the season.
It prepares the habits that carry the team through it.

Commitment to a championship standard aligns behaviors and results follow!