Winning in Eastern Standard Time

The other night, I was flipping through the channels confused as to why I couldn’t find the Lakers game on NBAtv. The game was slated to start at 10:30pm eastern time, so I subtracted three hours as usual and started searching for the game at 7:30pm. About 45 minutes after completely losing my attitude, I realized that I relocated to Eastern Standard Time about four months ago, and 10:30pm actually meant 10:30pm. Good times.

With a little over two hours left until the game started, my wife and I started watching The Biggest Loser on NBC. The Biggest Loser is a show where people who’ve become obese over the course of their lives for various reasons, compete to lose the most weight, and in turn, save their lives. Often emotional, the contestants fight week after week to survive on the show and continue their quest to be the “biggest loser.”

During this particular episode, the group of roughly twenty contestants were broken into two teams of ten. As the teams sat down for their meetings, I was intrigued as to how the leaders of the team would rally the troops.  One of the teams was made up of about four or five parents, and the other four of five were their children, most of which were in their 20’s. As they began talking, the parents became emotional at the thought of their children being sent home in defeat. They all decided to sacrifice for their children and intentionally “throw the weigh-in” by gaining weight. By doing this, they secure a spot for their children to stay on the show in the event that they end up as the losing team for that week. This was supposed to be a great act of sacrifice, something to be praised and respected. So then why was I squirming in my seat as I watched this travesty? It was because this group of “competitors” was so willing to accept defeat. Why enter an arena of competition if the stakes are too high for you to handle? Vince Lombardi said it best, “if you can accept losing, you can’t win.” Simple, and to the point.  

As I sat there trying to convince myself that what the parents did for their children was inspiring, I couldn’t help but think of the countless times I’ve read The Law of Victory, heard “winners find a way to win,” and watched Kobe Bryant rally the Lakers from a fourth quarter deficit to victory. Winning is everything.

I envisioned putting myself in the shoes of one of the parents on the show. I could teach my child one of two lessons. I could teach them that no matter what, I’m always here for them to help them get through tough times. Or, I can teach my child that no matter what you do in life, you do it to the best of your ability. You lay everything you have out there on the floor, and do everything in your power to succeed. You give 100% effort night in and night out, so that despite the outcome, you can lay your head on the pillow at night with no regrets. This winning mentality makes all the difference in business. When it’s all said and done, the battles we endure to reach our vision will leave the floor that we play on drenched. The winning mentality will be the difference between it being drenched with tears or drenched with champagne.

“There is one thing that can erase doubt and alleviate fear; one way to end rhetoric and settle disputes. It’s the sole means by which promises are kept and legacies live. It’s not money; it’s not love, either. It’s not hope, not heart, not drive and not talent. It’s winning.”  -- Unknown Author

Attitude and Mandela

Last week, Declan O’Donnell ran a morning meeting where he discussed Nelson Mandela’s 8 Lessons of Leadership. Since it is Black History Month, I thought it was a very fitting subject. When you hear a story of a person numerous times it can lose its luster, until you put everything into perspective again. In our business, the two most important things that will drive an individual to success is their work ethic and their ability to consistently maintain a positive attitude. It’s very humbling, almost embarrassing to see how badly we struggle at times at maintaining our attitudes and persevering through tough times, when you hear stories of great leaders in history such as Nelson Mandela. Here was a man who stood up against apartheid, which legally implemented racial segregation in South Africa. Mandela led a non-violent group that protested the government. He was sentenced to life in prison for treason in 1962. After serving 27 years in prison, Mandela was released in 1990. With every legitimate excuse to be bitter, hostile, or give up on the vision he had three decades earlier, Mandela picked up right where he left off. Apartheid was abolished three years after his release. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected President of South Africa a year later. Now, what were we saying about the bad day we were having at work yesterday? You see where I’m going with this. Hearing about these great leaders in history is always inspiring and can help us put our day to day struggles in perspective. Here is the link to the 8 Lessons of Leadership by Nelson Mandela. Thanks to Declan for running a great meeting last week.