Last night I found myself at the Nassau Coliseum hanging out with a few Elevators, and watching the New York Islanders get their pucks handed to them. Sorry Mike Nerenberg.
During the game I couldn’t help but notice that while at times they were aggressive, taking some risks, going after the puck and pushing themselves, there were plenty of moments where it was all about keeping up. Trying not to lose.
Now this is no knock on the Islanders – to be fair, they’re actually in first place in their division. But it just goes to show what can happen when something big shows up to out muscle you.
There are two places I sought to look, from my experience last night.
First, how are you playing the game of your business? Are you playing to win, or not to lose? In sports like hockey you need to play to win. And taking risks is an essential element. And while it sounds good to say that about life as well – that we should take risks and play to win – Dani Nodelman, Jeff Bernard, and Charles Rosenbaum will tell you that it’s also important to protect, and insure. And perhaps that is part of the winning plan.
What I invite you to look at is the motivation behind the choices. Because risk isn’t always inherently proactive – you could take risks from a desperate, fear based place. And protecting oneself is not necessarily reactive – you could protect yourself proactively. Like choosing to get a will or buy insurance.
So consider where you are choosing from – your toes or your heels?
The second question that came to mind is who are we being in the face of life’s muscly forces? Said another way, when the going gets tough, and circumstances want to put you on those heels, how do you show up?
Do you tend to strategize from your head to come up with a fix? Do you play your heart out and hope for the best? Is there a structured game plan with a combination of both head and heart? Or do you just end up getting outplayed, hoping for the storm to pass?
Do you tend to handle difficulty on your own? Or do you allow yourself to get supported by those around you?
The important thing is to look. And to notice how it typically goes – what’s predictable. Once we’re conscious of our tendencies, there’s an opportunity to choose differently.
I’ve heard it said that you can learn a lot about a person from the way they play the game.
How are you playing your game? What do you need to do, and who do you need to be, to generate the results you’re after?
One thing’s for sure. With our top talent, solid coaching staff, and over 10M in closed business last year, we’re well on our way to a championship season.
