Sloppiness is the silent killer of elite athletes and executives
In both sports and business, sloppiness can permeate entire teams. To most people, it rarely shows as the details are often incredibly small. The unmade bed. The gear bag or briefcase was thrown together at the last minute. The warm-up session or breakfast was skipped. The intermittent junk food binges. Those details may seem small, but they’re cracks in the armor. And at the highest level, cracks become chasms.
Precision = Confidence
Every champion I’ve ever coached or studied had one thing in common: They were incredibly disciplined when it came to details. They treated every element in preparation like it was “priority one.” From how they dressed, to how they prepared their equipment or presentations, to how they buttered their toast in the morning. Nothing was left to chance. Precision wasn’t just for game day or the million-dollar pitch to a new client; it was a way of life.
In 2014, I was hired to coach the U.S. Ski Team/Women’s Tech, which is the ladies’ team that competes in the technical events (slalom and giant slalom). And because one of our athletes, Mikaela Shiffrin, is considered the best female ski racer on the planet, I quickly noticed how tightly choreographed our training sessions were each day. Having been with a very successful U.S. Men’s/Speed Team previously, this ladies’ team was even more detailed. And we were very secretive with every facet of our operation. Unfortunately, I won’t go into details as those athletes are still competing.
Sloppiness is contagious. It seeps into training, then into preparation, and finally into competition. Champions and great leaders know this. That’s why they routinely crush the competition. They don’t tolerate it physically, mentally, or behaviorally. One of our first races of the season, in Aspen, Colorado, was a shining example of sloppiness. If you walked into Mikaela’s condo, it was very orderly. If you walked into the condo that housed four other athletes, it looked like a bomb had gone off.
Discipline is in the Details
Great athletes and executives are very robotic in their routines, but that’s the point. They get up at the same time, make their bed, dress a certain way, warm up, stretch, and meditate, eat breakfast with carefully selected foods, pack their gear with precision, and always show up early or on time. Every step is intentional and methodical.
At our National Championships, everyone is tired from a long season. However, it’s race day, and my coaching comrade and I were on the chairlift at 7:00 am to go up and set a warm-up slalom course. On the chair behind us? Mikaela. She offered to help us set the course, but we said, “No thanks – go make some warm-up runs.” She had 2-3 warm-up runs and 4 runs on that training course before the rest of the women’s team showed up. The result? Mikaela won the first run of Slalom by 5 seconds – which is an eternity in ski racing!
Watch all the great athletes prepare, and you’ll notice a carefully choreographed Process that is down to the second. NFL, NBA, or MLB players, tennis players, golfers, swimmers, track and field, etc. – they’re all the same. It might look obsessive to an outsider. But when the pressure is on, the athlete doesn’t waste mental energy on “Oh sh*t, I forgot my…!” That type of discipline frees up the brain to focus 100% on execution.
Why Sloppiness is Deadly
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Physically: Skipping warm-ups or training sessions can lead to injury.
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Technique: Not spending hours upon hours doing technical drills leads to sloppy execution.
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Mentally: A cluttered locker or rushed routine tells your brain it’s okay to cut corners. That mindset will bite you in the a** at the worst possible moment.
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Behaviorally: What starts as “I’ll do it tomorrow” turns into a pattern. That pattern shows up in competition as hesitation, mistakes, or lapses in focus.
Precision = Confidence
When everything is in its place, when routines are dialed in, when no little detail is left undone, athletes walk into competition with certainty. The same can be said about the C-suite executive pitching a new client. Certainty is a competitive advantage.
That’s why the greats look calm under pressure. It’s not that they don’t feel nervous. It’s that they’ve trained themselves, in every aspect of their endeavor, to eliminate variables. Precision breeds confidence. Sloppiness breeds doubt.
Even your circadian rhythm deserves discipline. It’s the neglected element. The best athletes and executives don’t leave their energy or focus to chance - they manage it with intention. Tools like the Humancharger simply make that discipline visible.
A Lesson for Everyone
Sloppiness isn’t just messy - it’s expensive. The margin between winning and losing in elite sports or business is very slim. Those on the podium always have a bigger payday. In the corporate world, million-dollar deals are often razor-thin. You’d better be on your game.
If you’re an up-and-coming athlete, develop a Process and show up early. When I was a D1 athlete at the University of Colorado, our coach said, “If you’re on time, you’re late. Always be here 5 minutes early. You only get two chances. The first late arrival is a trip around the stadium stairs, and the second? You’re off the team and will lose your scholarship.” I only saw one athlete run an extra lap on the stadium stairs. It’s why we were perennial National Champions.
If you’re in business, the same rule applies: Make your bed perfectly (unless the wife is still sleeping), get in a workout, eat a healthy breakfast, dress for success, prep for your meetings in advance, and always pay attention to the smallest details. Sloppiness in daily habits shows up when it matters most, whether that’s in a boardroom, a ski race, or a marathon.
Share this with your colleagues:
“Excellence is not built in the spotlight - it’s built in the details no one sees. If you’re sloppy, you’re mediocre. Developing a Process and paying attention to the details will give you a greater chance to become a champion.”
