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any people were recently amazed to see the tennis maestro Roger Federer win his 7th Wimbledon title. Handling unprecedented pressure created by the British media and from the British fans through their parochial rooting for Andy Murray, Federer lifted his tennis to sublime highs in the semis against Novak Djokovic, and in the critical moments of the second set just when a charged Murray threatened to upstage him. Fans, former players and pundits were left awestruck and wondering what keeps Federer motivated to continue conquering new heights. There are possibly some key factors, but a critical one among them is the winning habit.

“Winning is not a some time thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing,” said Vince Lombardi. For great champions like Federer – other noteworthy players in the same league would include golf’s Tiger Woods, basketball’s Kobe Bryant, cricket’s Sachin Tendulkar and swimming’s Michael Phelps to name a few – winning becomes part of their DNA. It inspires them to keep improving, constantly challenging their mental and physical limits and savoring the hardest of competitive challenges. There is no resting on laurels, no time for complacency and always an ability to totally block out the unnecessary distraction of opinionated clatter and sycophancy.

Compared to individuals, forming a winning habit is much more difficult for teams. Comprised of different personalities with varying agendas, teams often struggle with cohesiveness and coordination. Individual stars tend to trump the collective and ego clashes end up impairing common goals. Thus despite showcasing some individual brilliance Holland has never won the soccer world cup and South Africa is yet to win the cricket world cup. Argentina’s Lionel Messi has correctly pointed out that he prefers to win team titles rather than score individual goals. The soccer wizard has obviously realized that until he leads Argentina to a world cup win, his legacy will not be complete.

Given the challenges facing teams, it is all the more remarkable that Spain has demonstrated a wonderful winning habit at the highest levels of soccer. In 2008, the team won the European Championship and at the 2010 World Cup, the team effectively silenced critics that had labeled them “soccer’s under achievers” by dazzling them with displays of passing, artistry and finishing. Furthermore, an entire roster of talented players emerged including Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Carlos Puyol, Xabi Alonso, Gerard Pique and Iker Casillas. Success was built on positive team spirit, shared hunger for success and extensive drills in which neat passing and set plays were perfected. The team had developed a strategy of high ball possession, wearing down opponents and swift counter attacks.

A major reason for the team’s success was the focus on creating quality bench strength. As a result, players like Fernando Torres, Pepe Raina, Pedro Rodriguez and Juan Mata, who could walk into any other team are frequently benched and struggle to make it to the starting lineup.

In the 2012 European Championships, the team was handicapped by the absence of Carles Puyol and David Villa and analysts were writing off their chances and predicting victory for Germany. But Spain confidently confounded critics and thrashed Italy 4-0 in a one-sided final. In the process the team showcased several new quality players including Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas, David Silva and Jordi Alba.

“The first man gets the oyster the second man gets the shell,” said Andrew Carnegie, and it is clear that the Spanish soccer team wants the oyster each time. Yet in doing so, its calm and composed coach Vincente del Bosque does not boast or offer claims of dominance. He simply states his philosophy behind the winning habit. “We just have to work hard as a team and carry on winning trophies. I feel like the Spanish squad has been more united ever since winning the European championship in 2008.” In his comments he prefers to compliment his “great generation of players” rather than single out individual stars.

Companies can learn four golden lessons from the winning habits demonstrated by Spain’s soccer team. First, devote organizational energy into developing teamwork. Beyond cultural practices that are mistaken for teamwork, like chitchat or friendliness, emphasize professional aspects like open communication, robust debate, a sense of belonging and aligned priorities that are derived from a commitment to customer excellence and quality of output.

Second, make a concerted effort to develop bench strength. Reliance on a few individual stars makes the company vulnerable. In times of declining loyalty, staff restlessness, competitive poaching and rising costs, there is no substitute for constantly developing a pipeline of talent.

Third, substitutes neither emerge from thin air nor can simply be hired from outside. Organizational contexts are different, and in Indonesia many graduates are not “job ready” due to curriculums that are not aligned with industry needs, there are inconsistent teaching standards and a weak enforcement of campus discipline. Therefore, there needs to be robust internal training, testing and accountability before candidates are ready.

Fourth, let the rigor and competition of the marketplace spur you to new heights. As the record breaking basketball star Magic Johnson said, “If you’re a competitive person, that stays with you. You don’t stop. You always look over your shoulder.” Far too many companies stop too soon and believe the occasional win is enough. Remember Spain, focus on your summit, strive hard to reach it and endeavor to stay there.

The author is president director of the Strategic Advisor firm IndonesiaWISE. He can be contacted at amoltitus@indonesiawise.com.