At Iron Bow’s 2024 National Sales Conference, our CEO, Rene LaVigne, sat down with Jim Craig, a true icon in both sports and leadership.
Jim Craig is best known as the backbone of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Team, whose ‘Miracle’ win was voted by Sports Illustrated as the greatest moment in sports history of the 20th century. As the team’s goaltender, Craig started every game and played a pivotal role in the team’s success. One of the most enduring images from the 1980 Olympics is of Craig, draped in an American flag, searching the stands for his widowed father to share the gold-medal victory.
Before the Olympics, Craig was an All-American goalie at Boston University, where he led his team to an NCAA national championship. Following the ‘Miracle’ win, he played professionally for three NHL teams before a career-ending injury with the Minnesota North Stars. Craig’s accolades include enshrinement in the Boston University Hall of Fame, the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Among other honors, he is a co-recipient of both the Lester Patrick Award and Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year" award.
After his hockey career, Craig applied his leadership skills in the corporate world, becoming a motivational speaker, top salesman, and corporate consultant. He has been inducted into the Sales Halls of Fame for two different companies, growing one sales territory from $300,000 to $50 million annually. Later, as Vice President of a promotional marketing agency, he achieved an 80% increase in annual sales and expanded the client base by 30% in just two years.
At NSC 24, Craig captivated the audience with his insights into building a winning culture, staying resilient in the face of challenges, and executing with purpose. Here are the key takeaways from this unforgettable conversation.
“A team is a group of people who work together. A winning team is a group of people who trust each other.”
Craig emphasized that trust is the cornerstone of success. Whether on the ice or in business, trust creates an environment where individuals can rely on one another, tackle adversity, and achieve greatness.
“You need to define what winning is,” Craig reminded the audience. “There’s only one real winner, and you need to make the team every year to earn your position.” Excellence is not static—it’s a continuous process of proving your value, holding yourself accountable, and aligning with a collective goal.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough,” Craig stated. He urged attendees to step beyond their comfort zones, as growth stems from facing challenges head-on.
Leadership, he explained, often requires being “comfortable with being uncomfortable.” This mentality was pivotal for the 1980 U.S. hockey team and is equally relevant in navigating the complexities of today’s business environment.
Craig posed a challenge to leaders and teams: “Who are you competing against? How do you manage your time?” Winning isn’t just about talent—it’s about preparation, focus, and the discipline to prioritize what matters most.
Craig shared powerful stories of resilience, recounting how he overcame personal and professional struggles. From his wife’s illness to a career-threatening injury, he learned to adapt and grow stronger.
“When life doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger,” he reflected. Craig described how he turned rejection into motivation, calling those who overlooked him to say, “I can’t wait to compete against you and kick your butt.”
Craig also stressed that conflict and failure are essential for growth. He compared this to players of video games like Call of Duty, who improve not by avoiding failure but by embracing it. “People get better because they spend hours failing,” he explained.
Great leaders, he added, allow their teams to encounter challenges and learn from mistakes. By fostering an environment where failure is seen as a steppingstone rather than a setback, leaders inspire resilience, creativity, and continuous improvement—building stronger teams ready to face future challenges.
“You are what your goals are,” Craig said. Some people train to finish, while others train to win. Winners, he explained, define success with clarity and align every action with their vision.
However, Craig cautioned that success is fleeting without balance. “When life or work isn’t going well, it’s probably because you don’t have balance,” he said. To sustain performance, leaders must find equilibrium between professional ambitions and personal wellbeing.
“Great leaders realize they need to inspire their teams how to think, not what to think,” Craig advised. Encouraging curiosity and critical thinking empowers teams to adapt, innovate, and take ownership of their decisions.
“Don’t limit the victor. Don’t assume people are unhappy. Everyone has different dreams and desires,” he added. By understanding individual motivations and aligning them with collective goals, leaders foster a winning mindset that transcends obstacles.
Craig shared the philosophy that united his Olympic team: “Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.” Success, he explained, is rooted in collective effort and a shared vision.
“The reason our team won was because we were part of something bigger than ourselves. We walked out united,” Craig said. “What we did wasn’t a miracle. We had a leader who architected a shared dream, defined what winning was and helped us commit to the unknown.”
Great teams, he concluded, are built on teammates who complement and uplift one another—a principle as relevant to the boardroom as it is to the locker room.
Craig’s inspiring session left the Iron Bow audience with practical lessons for building high-performing teams:
As Craig reminded attendees, success isn’t just about achieving a goal—it’s about the journey, preparation, and commitment to excellence every step of the way.
At Iron Bow, we’re honored to have shared this incredible experience with Jim Craig and our team. His insights reinforce our dedication to fostering innovation, collaboration, and success.
What’s your definition of winning? Let’s tackle it together. Contact Us.