I think about this Bill Walsh quote all the time:

“Champions behave like champions before they’re champions.”

Bill Walsh took over as head coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 1979. The year before he got there, the team finished with a dismal 2-14 record. He immediately implemented his Standard of Performance—a series of rules and guidelines for how the entire 49ers organization would operate.

Yet in his first full season as head coach, he led his team to the same 2-14 record they had the season before. His Standard of Performance was taking root, and the culture was shifting, but the results still weren’t there. His second season was only slightly better.

In his third year as head coach, the 49ers went 13-3 and won the Super Bowl. He went on to win two more Super Bowls with the team.

Too often we get frustrated when we make changes but don’t see results right away. Walsh’s experience coaching the Niners teaches the power of consistency over time.

“Winners act like winners before they’re winners…The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions.”

When you focus on the right inputs, and do so consistently, the results will eventually follow. Be patient. Trust the process.

The score will take care of itself.