Resources v. Results

The reason many people cheer for Cinderella during March Madness is
understanding what they’re up against. The rules don’t provide these
financially overmatched teams with help to defeat the leading teams
and their limitless resources.

So they have to get creative and work at their craft. It’s often the
scrappy underdogs that pioneer systems that keep them competitive.
Those systems work and others mimic them (ever heard of the Princeton
offense?) because it doesn’t matter where a good idea comes from, it
just matters if it works.

Imagine if small teams tried to beat the big dogs at their game? How
successful would they be? How often do you hear these student-athletes
talk about “our system” and “teamwork.”

No, they don’t always win the ultimate prize, but there’s only one of
those each year anyway. It’s not an accident the players who feel they
have nothing to lose, seem to be having the most fun game in and game
out.

The real takeaway in my mind is about having a philosophy, believing
in it and working just as hard in all facets of the game as the
so-called virtuosos do. Your outcomes might not be heralded on a large
scale, but it doesn’t make your work any less significant or
meaningful.

What winning is about

The reason I think we find sports in society so compelling is because it looks nothing like real life. The rules are defined, there are boundaries and if you don’t outperform the people you’re competing against, you will lose.

When you’re competing on an even playing field under the same rules; it doesn’t always mean that people around you won’t cut corners. But you can stick your own philosophy and when you find success, find that others around you start to watch what you’re doing.

Often, a philosophy is attributed to a brave soul who comes in with youthful enthusiasm, a monk-like devotion to duty and a desire to make things a bit better and find people who buy into the vision.

What’s the point? Success isn’t always measured in metrics or dollars and cents. It’s sometimes about cultivating a philosophy and a way of doing business that reflects the ideals of the people working in that group, institution or company. While it might be articulated fully, it’s not always best expressed by the CEO, but the line employee who’s worked there for a year or three.  It’s not just demonstrated in the way they do work during business hours, but when the shop doors close.

Winning is often the only thing anyone ever thinks about, but it’s not surprising that their success gets capped somewhere before their own personal grail. It usually takes more than will, more than a desire or a passion alone to find the combination which results in big wins.