The Final Four is upon us and for many sports fans, this is the best time of year. I can’t remember the last time there has been so much made about March Madness – even our President has filled out a bracket. http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/entry?entryID=2813746
As so many get caught up in the One Shining Moment of the NCAA tournament and there is so much made about the event of March Madness, it makes me think of a very common adage. Sticking with the college basketball theme – Bobby Knight made it famous, but lots of coaches say “the will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win.”
Any athlete would tell you that it is your focus and preparation prior to the game that separates the winners and losers, but what does that mean in the business world?
The example that comes to mind takes me back to the past Presidential Election – I remembering hearing Anderson Cooper report that Barack Obama would spend as many as 30+ hours preparing for a debate. His team would grill him on all levels – challenging questions, the words chosen to respond to each question, his tone, his body language, how he reads his opponent, even to the point of how he looks into the television camera. Regardless of political views, it was clear he had prepared for the debate.
At a business level, it reminds me of those client presentations that my team and I would prepare for. Without failure, the success of those presentations could always be measured by the focus in our preparation prior to that presentation. At the end of the line, when the stakes are high, hope is not a strategy.
So my best to all of the Final Four Teams – both men and women. They have clearly prepared to reach high levels of the success they have attained. Enjoy the games…
Posted by mccaffrey31 
