It was an interesting situation in the middle of the Super Bowl yesterday. Right after the beginning of the 3rd quarter, half the lights in the Superdome went out, stopping play for about an hour. During that time, there was a tremendous swing of momentum between the two teams. Baltimore had just scored to take a 21 point lead. However, once the lights came back San Francisco rallied to draw within a few points of Baltimore. Baltimore eventually prevailed to win, but it was interesting to watch what happened.
With one situational disruption, all the momentum that Baltimore had after the score, vanished. Not to take anything away from San Francisco’s comeback, it was like Baltimore lost some if its intensity for about a quarter. Then all of a sudden, the leadership stepped up and got the team back on track and they eventually won.
In business, we all suffer setbacks or disruptions. We could lose a vendor, a customer, an order, an employee. Or we could just lose focus. It is the responsibility of leadership to guide the organization through the adversity. In reality, stuff happens that we don’t anticipate or have any control over. The key is focus and intensity. Fortunately for Baltimore, they were able to regain their focus and intensity to win the game.
Here are three key things to remember when the situational adversity strikes.
1. Keep your eye on the prize. Stay focused on the outcome you want. Baltimore never gave up. They kept fighting and working. They did not stop and have a pity party. They did not start using the situation as an excuse. They just stayed the course and kept going. Focus on the result you want. It is not easy. We tend to want to come up with an excuse. Stop worrying about excuses and keep moving forward.
2. Adjust the plan. If what you are doing is not working, you must do something different. Determine a different path, but stay focused on the outcome you want. Some folks will just keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome when the results indicate that the current strategy or process is not working. Have the courage to adjust and change as necessary in order to keep things moving in the right direction.
3. Stay positive. Don’t get bogged down in the self-doubt and negative mind talk that goes on when things don’t go the way you planned. Keep focused on the outcome and keep believing in yourself, your preparation, your process, and your people. A big part of the battle is in our own head. We have to believe.
It was a great Super Bowl. One that will be talked about for a while. It was fun to watch and exciting at the end. It was also a great demonstration of how to overcome situational adversity that you can’t control, and still end up winning the game.
Have an awesome week. Stay positive and focused this week and watch what happens.
Blessings,
Mike