To stay ahead of the game elite athletes and business leaders must embrace change

When Tim Murdoch played lacrosse at Princeton in the 1980s, his coaches were prone to yelling and screaming. And Murdoch brought that coaching style to McGill’s lacrosse team, but when he had a group of underperforming athletes, he found it just wasn’t working. So, Murdoch re-evaluated, and began focusing on the positive. It paid off. Over the next decade, McGill won most of its games and two national championships. “I focused on strengths instead of weaknesses,” Murdoch told Prof. Karl Moore in an interview for Forbes. “The idea that all elite athletes share in terms of constant improvement should be embraced by leaders of companies and organizations,” says Murdoch, who also runs a consultancy. “Everything is changing around you, don't just go with the flow, and continue what you've done historically.”