After watching several basketball games over the weekend, in the last two days of the regular season, and some starting off their conference tournaments, there were some observations.

1.      You must have something to play for

2.      Distractions can affect your performance.

3.      Ultimate Prizes are not always the end goal

4.      Training and fundamentals set you up for Success

SE Missouri was a great example of these. In their championship game they were up, had the game in the bag, but then lost focus. The game then came down to a last second shot which their opponent made. A timeout was called, and when you looked at the players they were crying, they were lost, they thought they had lost. However, the shooter had stepped on the line, making it a two not a three. SE Missouri had to come back, they walked through the first minute of overtime but then came back and eventually won the game going to the Big Dance.

Alabama, on the other hand, should not have bene in a battle with Texas A&M, they were number 2 in the country, had the better team, but A&M wanted the win, they wanted to improve their position, and they clawed and fought, and came back to win the game. Texas, by all accounts should have lost to Kansas, but they wanted 2nd place in the Big 12 tournament, they want their interim coach to be their head coach, they want to prove they are better than everyone thinks.

How does all of this apply to business? I am not doing a recap of all the game here, but I am using some of the lessons that we are talking about and have talked about in this newsletter. What is your team working for? Is it a large contract, growing market share, or something else? Does your team know what they are working for? If not, you need to clearly define what that is.

In addition, when you don’t get something to get to that goal, then the whole team needs to feel it. And you need to build a culture where everyone does their jobs ideally and the way that maximizes their efficiency. I won’t say the right way as there might be multiple ways to get something done, it may be different than your way, so help people understand the basics then let them be creative. Tying in the basketball theme, have the plays or the organization but let them execute, let them feel how it feels to win and lose, and have buy in.

This is about culture and culture is important. Culture is more than having fun or feeling relaxed or some of the other ways it has been described. Culture is about showing your team what to do, why they do it, and then let them execute it with pride and commitment. 

How are you winning today?