Originally published on May 31, 2016.
The intensity of the Western Conference playoff series, that culminated in my favorite team's remarkable comeback, reminded me of 3 great life and leadership lessons I learned over the course of my career.
Defeats and setbacks can be good for your soul: No one likes to lose. And in corporate America, you don't want to be that person who blew it and caused your company to lose that deal of the year. Nonetheless, defeat and failure serve their purpose. Even top performers and top teams need moments of constructive reality checks - you can't win all the time and there's always room to improve. Thus, I'd argue we should embrace defeats and setbacks as opportunities for self-assessment, constant improvement, and reaching for something higher. You can come back stronger, better, wiser, and a winner!
Know and play to your strengths - be yourself: Yes, we've all taken some form of StrengthsFinder or DiSC at some point in our careers, but knowledge without action is futile. It is human and normal to lack confidence at times, especially in the face of daunting endeavors or a formidable opponent. Nonetheless, trying to be someone else, and worse, failing to leverage one's core strengths can lead to disastrous outcomes. It is OK to realize that the competition is really great at its game and appropriately adjust strategy. But It's never OK to try to copy or play like the competition! Game theorists may argue otherwise, but I rest my case for the everyday, hard-working ladies and gentlemen. Your unique approach to applying your skills differentiates you!
Effective teamwork always yields better outcomes:If you work as part of a team and if you depend on a team to succeed, it is imperative to create room for each team member to play to his/her strengths in order to bring about the collective synergy that is needed to reach the finish line. Failure to empower other players drains the team and leads to disaster, resentment and team dysfunction. Even the MVPs need their team mates to earn their titles. Yes, there's "#Strength in Numbers" and exceptional leaders know how to harness and deploy their team's power to its full potential.
Are you thankful for your team? Who have you empowered today? Take time to thank and empower a team member today. Go Warriors!!!!!