My father was a sports fanatic. We had a television in every room, one in the garage, and yes, a small one in the restroom. When a game was on television he wanted the other TV’s on so if he grabbed a beer in the garage refrigerator, or had to use the restroom, he did not miss a moment.
Well, yes, he raised a son who is a sports fanatic. This is why sports have taught me so much about business. It also has instilled a spirit of competitiveness in my soul that makes me want to win. This is why I believe in teaching our business teams that when winning, then win.
What?
Okay, I understand that this may be confusing, but too many times teams or individuals let up when they are winning, instead of driving for the victory. In business this means the difference between you and your competitor.
Vince Lombardi had the spirit of winning. He instilled this competitiveness within his team. He taught that “when you have your foot on the throat of the competition, crush it.” Now I apologize if this sounds cruel, but he did not teach to hurt someone. What he taught was for his team to finish the game strong. In business it’s about driving for victory and building upon that win.
Good teams play competitively. Great teams redefine the sport. Character is important, so I am not talking about breaking the rules. But great teams evolve and change the dynamics.
This is why when winning then win. This truly means to not only finish strong, but to redefine your industry in the victory. This means to not make yourself a commodity but make yourself an industry leader by how you have evolved the industry.
I have seen many industries that believed they were a commodity, until the new leader came to win.
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