The Habit of Winning – and Losing
We’re fresh off watching a Super Bowl upset where the Chiefs, who hadn’t won the title in 50 years, defeated the 49ers. It was a close game. Entering the fourth quarter, it looked like the 49ers had it. But then things changed.
The Chiefs changed their strategy, the players adapted to a dynamic situation. A late-game rally led by Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, where Kansas City scored three-straight touchdowns in just over five minutes, clinched the win and the Lombardi Trophy.
In an interview following the game, Mahomes said, “I just go out there and try to be the best player that I can be every single week.” That’s a winning attitude. More than that, it demonstrates a winning habit.
As Vince Lombardi, the infamous American football coach and Super Bowl trophy’s namesake, said, “Winning is not a sometime 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.”
Change Happens.
The technology industry is a lot like the Super Bowl LIV football game. In the tech sector, things change fast, and constant change seems to be the new normal.
There’s a lot written about change leadership. And yes, the ability to rally the troops and be a fearless and encouraging leader during tumultuous times is important.
But I’d argue it’s more important that everyone who’s part of the team adopt a change mindset and winning habits. Then, no matter what is happening around you, you’ve set yourself up to be successful.
Times change, companies change, who’s in charge changes – but while those shifts are happening, it’s the responsibility of the team to continue to do their jobs and do them well.
For companies to prosper in the dynamic environment created by the digital economy, they need to frequently transform to meet customers’ ever-changing requirements, to remain relevant and competitive, and to capitalize on market opportunities.
Every technology company has been transforming over the past few years. There's been a pivot in how companies go to market. Businesses face organizational changes with senior leaders. Directionally, companies shift to meet need and demand. Change, for many people, means uncertainty.
But through this uncertainty there's an opportunity for leadership. There's an opportunity to demonstrate skills like adaptability, flexibility, perseverance, focus, and strength. There's also the opportunity to get dragged down and distracted.
Play the Game Like an MVP.
Sports teams get new coaches. They get hit with new plays, new drills, new players brought in, while others are traded. The remaining players understand that they are part of a team. So, no matter what happens, they show up, and they play. They do their job as athletes.
It’s the same in business. You can sit back on the sidelines and question what’s going on. You can sit by the water cooler and spend eight hours a day pontificating, and you can be distracted. Or you can acknowledge that the company's going through change, be a leader, show up for your team, and do your job.
At the end of the day, your job has not changed. Your role, your function, and your responsibility have not changed.
You can try to be Nostradamus and predict what's going to happen, but the chances of you being right are infinitesimal, so stop. Stop wondering, compartmentalize it, and start doing. Recognize that for a company to thrive and survive, it needs to be adaptable. It needs to grow, it needs to change, and, as employees, we need to embrace it and do our part to accelerate the transformation of the company.
That means adopting new skill sets, that means accepting new responsibilities, that means being flexible and open. Change and disruption are an opportunity for you, as an individual contributor or as a first-line manager, to take a leadership role. Do what's right for the customer. Do what's right for the company. Make the right choice. Do your job, stay focused, be responsible, and be a leader. Don’t get sucked into the vortex of rumor. Don't wait for somebody else to tell you what you should be doing. Even when you’re down 20-10, keep fighting because you don’t know what’s coming in the fourth quarter. You know what your job is – so keep doing it to the best of your ability.
That's what I preach to my team. It's also the philosophy by which I live.
Technologies change. Companies change. Bosses change. Each change ushers in a new lens, a different point of view, different expectations and processes.
Through each change I’ve experienced in my career, my mantra has never wavered. I am going to do my job. I know what my job is. There's nobody in the company that knows it better than I do, and I'm going to own it.
Elevate yourself to a leadership role by the level of activity and results that you produce. Because, when the dust of change settles, your results and your activity will show whether you were sitting and waiting on the sidelines or playing your position to the best of your ability.
How do you face change? Reach out – I’d love to hear your thoughts.
#Change #Leadership #TeamPlayer