Business, Sports, and Christian Excellence

By Michael Griego on February 13, 2026 • ( 0 )

Some businesses are excellent, many are not. Same with sports teams. Same the Christians. What’s the difference maker? It may surprise you.

What do successful businesses of any size and in any industry have in common? One might say great leadership, team or corporate culture, quality products and market opportunity, excellent operations and finances.

How about championship-level sports teams? One might say great leadership, quality players, a winning culture and excellent playbook execution.

What about an effective Christian life? What do great Christians have in common? One might say a great prayer life, Bible study, a vibrant church, right doctrine, good behavior, a Spirit-led mentality.

I’d go a step further and claim that there is a commonality between successful businesses, championship sports teams, and an effective Christian life. It is intangible and unseen. It is desired, but often missed in the chase for the other more obvious and tangible signs of success and so-called effectiveness.

It’s what everyone wants and what many don’t fully even understand.

Is It the Culture or Esprit de Corps?
Yes, for successful businesses and sports teams, the culture or “esprit de corps” is exceptional in all top producing and healthy organizations. It’s that common spirit or pride that drives shared commitment and loyalty among a group of employees or team members. This is created and cultivated by exceptional leaders, managers, and coaches who move a group of people to seek performance heights beyond the norm because they are unified in a cause, goal, or larger aspiration.

And it’s often not about money.

Great companies and teams have that intangible vibe that is motivation, encouraging, uplifting, fun, and attractive. It can originate from a highly effective leader or group of like-minded people bent on building a winning culture.

It is unfortunate that most companies and teams do not have this. It is something to seek and develop in any organization. The key is the people or key person. But it can’t be mandated or manufactured.

It’s natural, real, and authentic.

What About the Effective Christian?
Yes, there is a similar but certainly different and often esoteric element in an effective Christian life. It is intangible and unseen. It is desired though often misunderstood and considered in ways that are misinformed.

It is very real and authentic. While natural in an effective Christian life, it is actually supernatural in the tangible world.

And there lies the mystery of the Holy Spirit-led, effective Christian life.

To highlight the differential, let’s look at the conventional Christian life, and all the key success elements expected to be practiced by many good Christians whether they be Catholic, Protestant, or any other bracket that one might label as “Christian.”

Included with each element are common statements one might hear:

Great Prayer Life – “I pray to God every day.” “I pray in Jesus’ name when I pray.” “I pray the rosary.” “I believe in prayer.”
Bible Study – “I read the Bible daily.” “I go to a Bible study each week.” “I’m trying to read through the whole Bible in a year.”
Vibrant Church – “I attend church (or Mass) each week.” “I belong to a good church.” “I listen to sermons online each week.”
Right Doctrine – “God created all things.” “The Bible is the Word of God.” “Jesus is God incarnate who died for sins of mankind and rose from death.” “Jesus is God.”
Good Behavior – “I try to be a nice person.” “I serve in my church.” “I volunteer at the local food center.”

Here’s what’s often missing. It’s subtle but hugely significant:

Holy Spirit-Led – “The Holy Spirit or Spirit of God lives within me and guides me.” “I live my life through the power of the Holy Spirit.” “I pray to God/Jesus through the Holy Spirit.” “Christ lives in me through the Holy Spirit.” “I live a Spirit-led life.”

The New Testament Emphasizes This
Here are just a few verses in the Bible that focus on this profound indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of every Christian:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own… – 1 Corinthians 6:19
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. – Romans 8:9
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. – Romans 8:11
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. – Romans 8:26
Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. – John 14:17
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? – 1 Corinthians 3:16
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. – 2 Corinthians 6:16
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13

So, Be Excellent
As humans in this world of social and spiritual realms, we should all be after excellence in all we do. Why not? It’s achievable but not a given. You know it when you see it or experience it.

Whether in the business or sports arena, cultural excellence or esprit de corps is desirable. In the spiritual arena, a Holy Spirit-led Christian life is well beyond the common consideration of a life well-lived.

Why not seek true excellence there as well? And live it vibrantly with the indwelling Spirit fo the Living God that brings the true fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Are you living a Holy Spirit-led Life?
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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20