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Extra Points – Chasing the Rabbit
Chasing the Rabbit
Captain Jack
I admit to being an NFL geek. I watched the NFL Draft on Saturday as the Seahawks had about a gazillion picks to make. It was worth it when I heard former NFL head coach and ESPN Monday Night Football announcer, Jon Gruden tell a rookie quarterback…
“If the dog hadn’t stopped to take a crap, he would have caught the rabbit.”
Now, THAT is wisdom!
Here’s why. The dog takes off on a mission to catch the rabbit. The rabbit himself is fast and tough to catch to begin with. The dog stops to do his duty and the rabbit speeds on. The dog misses out on the rabbit and the rewards of catching the rabbit.
You start off on a new mission/objective/goal/initiative/dream (you pick one). The objective is going to be tough to attain to begin with. You are going fast and then something distracts or stops you. Seems like it’s important at the time. By the time you get going back again, you’ve lost momentum; lost passion; lost direction; and ultimately lost your rabbit and reward.
You, in your professional and personal life, are constantly setting goals and objectives. Too bad you’re allowing things to distract you and keep you from reaching them. More often than not, these distractions are of your own doing. It doesn’t have to be that way. You have control, you just need to be resilient, focused, and passionate. There’s always time to ‘um…”take a crap” later!
Go catch that rabbit!
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
This week’s quote -
“It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man.”
– H. L. Mencken
Crisis Case Study: When The Lights Go Out in the Stadium…
In the biggest stage of the year, one of the worst possible things that could happen did. Someone leaned up against the light switch panel and turned off the lights to the Mercedes Superdome.
This was a crisis for many different groups. With millions of people tuned in from around the world; with advertisers spending millions of dollars on commercials; and with your reputation on the line for future events; how exactly do you deal with the situation?
Here is my report card for the major players involved…
The Superdome staff (A-) – To go from lights out to lights on in less than 35 minutes is actually pretty good. To do so with the pressure of the world watching is remarkable. Certainly, a power failure was a known peril for the facility management leadership. This is an area that they are trained on and have protocol. You’d think it would be a no-brainer, right? Not so fast. People are trained at CPR yet having to respond in the heat of the moment is another matter entirely. This staff had to deal with coaches yelling at them, television crews freaking out, 80, 000 patrons, and hundreds of social media bloggers making fun of them. I wasn’t there to watch it unfold nor know all the details of communications. Bottom line is that they went from crisis to game on in the amount of time a pizza could be delivered to your house for the 2nd half. That’s a win.
CBS Sports (C+) – Lead broadcasters Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were part of the block of lights that went blooey ( a technical crisis term), so they were off the grid. Based on not hearing sideline reporter Solomon Wilcots, I’m guessing he was down, too. That left the other sideline reporter Steve Tasker with the task of pulling it together as they got the studio guys miked up and ready. Tasker was a little like the deer in the headlights at first, basically telling us things we already knew, like the lights were out. I’m guessing he hasn’t been overly prepped in being creative in the pinch, and he was adequate. The studio team was worse. They should have been better able to talk us through the delay as they are the ones being paid the big bucks. They were okay, but boring. My guess is they were busy eating some Cajun cuisine after watching Beyonce entertain at halftime That’s not good enough from them and Tasker being adequate kept them from falling to a lower grade. I have to believe that loss of power must be discussed as a crisis strategy by network big wigs. It didn’t appear that they were as well prepared as they could have been.
The Teams – Baltimore (D), San Francisco (A) – In the span of about 7 football minutes, the Ravens went from being up 28-6 to being up 28-23. It’s like when the lights flipped back on, so did the 49′ers. The Ravens ended up winning the game, but it took them a long time to find themselves again. One of the things an announcer did say was that these guys are professionals and it shouldn’t affect them. Wrong. I doubt that NFL players are prepared for this and let’s face it, most of these guys are pretty young. The momentum the Ravens did have dissipated quickly and the 49′ers players took a deep breath and charged on. Baltimore needed every bit of that lead to overcome what they lost mentally in that 34 minutes. Maybe they had ordered pizza and champagne for their celebration and forgot there was still a half of football to play!
What’s this mean for you? If you own or run a business, you need power and connectivity. And you need it almost always. If the Superdome can lose power during the Super Bowl, you can lose power at a most inopportune time, too. How is your team trained to handle it?
- Will they rise to the occasion like the Superdome staff and get back to full operations immediately?
- Will your partners who handle utility services and disaster recovery be able to help you where you can’t help yourself?
- Will they be like deer in headlights or will they take charge? How do you know?
- Will they respond like the Ravens and come out flat and bewildered or be like the 49′ers who found opportunity in the midst of chaos?
The only way to be sure is to have a plan, practice and test it, and continually monitor and strive to improve it. That’s how you build a championship team in any situation.
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Extra Points – Lights Out
This week’s focus point…
Lights Out.
The Super Bowl was a thriller; Beyonce was very good; and the commercials, except for three, were dreadful. And, as is usually the case, something out of the ordinary happened in the middle of THE American event of the year…the lights suddenly went out in New Orleans.
For the vast majority of the people watching the game, it was at best something to make fun of and and worst an opportunity to order a pizza. For the teams, it was an annoyance. For the people who run the event and the stadium, it was a crisis. My youngest daughter manages events and I know the commitment and pressure to run a “perfect” event. The fact that this is the Super Bowl only heightens that pressure by about 1000%.
Based on the fact that this was an external event outside the stadium, and that halftime was now over and the game resumed, the management and staff were probably taking a deep breath after the halftime show. To all of a sudden have what possibly could be the worst peril strike, and to get the game back on in just 31 minutes is actually pretty remarkable. Imagine trying to rectify your own crisis with the entire world watching.
In your business, are you prepared to respond when your own crisis happens when you least expect it? In your personal life, you will face adversity with no warning. Are you able to make real time decisions that have big consequences?
The bottom line is that each of us react and respond to crisis differently. Readiness and preparedness always trumps laziness and apathy. I’m certain the staff at the Superdome were prepared for this and had practiced it. The results indicate it. You face will face crises in your professional and personal lives. Your results will indicate your ability to respond.
How prepared are you to turn the lights back on?
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
This week’s quote -
“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.”
~Andre Agassi
Extra Points – No Panic
No Panic
Watching my team, the Seattle Seahawks, fall behind 14-0 in a playoff game against the Washington Redskins had me fit to be tied. They were playing awful and the entire momentum and outlook was gloomy. The players and coaches were getting a blistering tongue-lashing from 3,000 miles through the television. I’m sure my ire as a coach would have looked like sheer panic to my players. Luckily for everyone involved in Seahawks Nation, I am NOT the coach!
The coaches and players never panicked. They came back to score the next 24 points and win fairly easily to advance in the playoffs. No panic. Just doing your job confidently one play at a time until the mission was completed. Teams that panic try to hard and fail. Teams that don’t panic, stay in the moment and at least give themselves a fighting chance.
We often panic in life and business. Ever catch yourself panicking in the middle of a conversation? In the midst of a business deal going south? When time, money, and opportunity seem to be fading fast? What do you do? Try to hard and fail, or stay calm?
All of us have probably succumbed to panic at times. It’s part of being human and learning. The key is to learn how to stay calm in crisis and chaos. How do you do that?
The most important factor is self-confidence. That innate knowledge that you are good enough to overcome adversity. The abiding belief in yourself that you will win. The ability to slow things down in your mind and be focused. Finally, the understanding that in most cases, “this too shall pass” and you will survive and prosper no matter what happens in the moment. On the football field, those who don’t panic generally win. The same holds true in life and business. Go forth and never panic again!
This week’s quote -
“Tough times never last. Tough people always do.”
Extra Points – What if?
What if…
Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll
Sports fans are crazy. I was in a debate with a friend on my beloved Seahawks after they won a huge game in Chicago. He was still fretting over close losses and what might have been if things were different.I know that’s what we as fans do, but if coaches and players do the same, they are in big trouble.
Maybe it’s the old coach in me, but looking back on failures and wondering “what if” only leads to misery. Learn from mistakes, vent it out of your system, and then move on to the next game. If you don’t do that, that “failure” is magnified and creeps into the future leaving a wake of failures in its path.
The conundrum is that this is a problem in business, too. We all fail, make mistakes, and let the “big one” get away at times. The unsuccessful people look back and moan about “what if,” and how things would have been better if they had not failed. That leads to more failures. The successful people learn from their mistakes, understand that opportunities come out of failure and crisis, and boldly move to their next “game.”
Don’t be afraid to fail. When you do, learn from them. Make adjustments is necessary, then forget them and boldly move forward with your eye on the future. That’s the clearest and best path to your “championship.”
Copyright 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
This week’s quote - “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”
~Erma Bombeck
P.S. How many times can you be declared legally dead. By this definition, I might have a few…
Crisis Case Study #1
What happens when you lose someone from your team? How much more tragic is it when it happens on site?
This past weekend, two NFL teams have had to deal with this. In Kansas City, one of the Chiefs players committed suicide by shooting himself at the facility in front of the general manager and coach, and just days before the next scheduled game. In Cleveland, a member of the Browns ground crew committed suicide at the team’s facility. The death of an employee, especially when they take their own life on site, can have a hugely detrimental impact on the rest of the organization. What if that happened in your organization? Are you prepared to deal with it? How do you know?
This past year, one of my clients lost an employee on site due to a heart attack. To add to it, the spouse worked there and was on site at the time. Last year, a Rotarian friend of mine who owned an auto repair shop had a heart attack and died. His employees tried in vain to give him CPR.
Too many of you think of crisis in the forms of fire, theft, and natural disasters. A workplace death, especially during working hours, can be as big a crisis as you can face. Knowing what to do in advance helps you, your employees, and your organization.
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Boston Journal #3
Terrific way to end the trip. I watched my Seahawks play Green Bay on Monday Night Football at a sports bar next to the Harvard Club. We met up with my daughters’ classmate, and a former basketball player of mine. She went to college in Boston and found a job here. It was great to catch up with her to watch our hometown team. We went back to the hotel at the start of the 4th quarter and watched one of the most improbable, crazy endings I’ve seen in over 40 years of watching football. The Seahawks won on a play that was improperly called…on national television on the biggest stage! Believe me, this stuff usually happens to the Seahawks, not in favor of them!
The girls left early this morning to get back in time for classes. I got up a few hours later and headed out for a walking tour of Boston. From 8:30 to 11:15, I walked Boston. I am an avid walker, but even I was pooped! I got back, packed up, and went to a great lunch and out to the airport.
The only downer is that I am leaving my sunglasses here. Somehow I managed to lose them. Not that I’m usually hung up on sunglasses, but my daughter bought me Oakley sunglasses for Christmas and they were perfect. Who knows, maybe they will show up. I know the girls took my hairbrush with them today…turned into a hat day! Other than that, an incredibly enjoyable trip.
I’m anxious to get home and see Barb. I miss not being able to always take her with me. She took one for the team by staying home with Mom. She’s awesome.
Thanks for following. Starting tomorrow, we will return to our regularly scheduled blogs!
Copyright 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Boston Journal #2
Boston is quickly becoming a new favorite city for me.
Yesterday, the girls and I went to Fenway Park and watched the Red Sox win 2-1 over Baltimore. The game came down to the last batter being struck out with the bases loaded. Perfect weather, competitive game, hanging out with my daughters… With apologies to MasterCard, this was priceless.
After the game, we met with my colleagues from Alan Weiss’s consulting community. We all went out to dinner at a terrific Italian restaurant downtown near the Boston Garden. Afterwards, three of us found a cool, underground cigar bar and shared a cigar and scotch together. We then caught up with the others and ate dessert from Mike’s Pastries. This is a new group that has been formed within Alan’s community, and the chance to build relationships by eating and having fun together is, well, also priceless. It was a real treat to include my adult daughters in the evening.
Today was our day with Alan. We discussed a myriad of strategy and tactics related to our consulting careers. The best way to improve and grow is to learn from your peers. It was a value laden day. The girls spent the day touring Boston. I am a little jealous, but plan to do some catch up tomorrow!
Tonight, we watch the Seahawks play on Monday Night Football. A real treat to watch our home town team play on a national stage from the other side of the country. We are meeting one of my daughter’s classmates, who I also coached in basketball in high school. She went to college here, and is now working in this great city.
Full day, with more fun ahead. Stay tuned to tomorrow for more!
Top 7 Posts for 1st Quarter
New feature…
Here are the Top 7 posts for 1st Quarter of 2012 (in order)…
1. Saints to Sinners: Business Lessons from the NFL
2. Moneyball for Insurance Executives
3. The Escape and Capture of Captain Jack
4. Too Much in Your Face(book)
6. Worry and Concern: A Blog from Alan Weiss
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Saints to Sinners: Business Lessons Learned from the NFL
Today’s announcement of the penalties handed down by National Football League commissioner, Roger Goodell have dramatic consequences for the New Orleans Saints football
Sean Payton - New Orleans Saints
team and coaches. For those not familiar with the situation, The Saints were accused, and found guilty of, targeting opposing players (particularly quarterbacks) to injure them and get them removed from the game. The defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, developed a system (which he used when coaching with other teams) where his players would earn up to $1,500 for hard hits and getting other players injured. Basically, “Bounty-gate” as it’s being termed, was more about bad intentions than hard hits. When it comes to players safety, the NFL has taken a hard-line and made historic decisions.
The defensive coordinator Williams, has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. It’s a minimum of a year with the chance to re-apply then. He has a new team and this impacts them substantially. The head coach, Sean Payton, who knew what was going on and failed to stop it, was suspended for a year without pay. That’s a cool $8,000,000 (that’s right – six zeros) never to be regained. He can’t appeal. He is an employee of the NFL without a union. One of the other assistants, Joe Vitt, was suspended for 6 games. The club has been fine $500,000, lost draft picks, and lost its reputation. This is unprecedented in the NFL, and maybe all of sports. It is punitive and a clear message to the rest of the teams that this behavior will end.
The reasons for the draconian nature of the penalties? The Saints were warned in 2009 by the NFL to stop bounties. The Saints said okay, but they didn’t stop. Basically, when you lie to an investigative unit, that leads to issues. In addition, the NFL smelled huge lawsuits coming at them and probably felt that they needed to make a big statement in order to show that they are doing all they can to end bounties. They did.
So what does this mean to business leaders? Read on…
1. Head Coach Sean Payton is stunned (Read article by Jay Glazer on NBC Sports). He has just lost $8M he can never get back. He is out of the league for a year. No contact. No decisions on players. Nothing. He didn’t instigate this bounty system. He allowed his defensive coordinator to do it and basically gave him full control. The similarities to Joe Paterno at Penn State are compelling. Payton (basically the CEO) ceded control to a maverick subordinate and stuck his head in the sand. He allowed bad behavior to persist in his organization even after being warned. For that, he ended up getting the deepest blow. He makes way more money than Williams. His reputation was bigger. He has lost big time. Question – As a leader, do you cede control to subordinates who are highly successful and stop minding the store? Are you willing to “overlook” things because the person who is running it is very successful in other areas? Example – your top sales producer shows poor judgement frequently with clients and potentially can damage your reputation. You don’t do anything because they are your top producer. You risk your reputation and potentially increase your liability.
2. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis was also suspended for a year. This is your club’s top executive. Payton may have been the CEO, but this guy is all about your talent acquisition. Again, this is a case of not taking bold and courageous actions when you’re smart enough to know you should. It’s easy to say sitting here on the outside, but really tough sometimes when you are in the midst of the fire. Question – Do you take bold and courageous action when your gut tells you what you know is right?
3. Looking at the big picture. The NFL is all about winning today. Now, not necessarily later. Teams will fire coaches, executives, and players at a drop of a hat to win today. Heck, today Tim Tebow (last year’s golden boy and media sensation) was traded by the Denver Broncos to the New York Jets because Denver picked up Peyton Manning. Nobody is safe. The pressure to think only in the moment and eschew long-range consequences may be very prevalent in this environment. Question – Do economic challenges and issues keep you focused only on the now, rather than strategizing and preparing for long-term sustainability?
4. Reputation Damage Control – I’ve heard very little from the Saints today. Maybe they are still trying to get up off the floor. They have damage control to do. It starts with their fans and continues on with the NFL, public perception, and the media. This may haunt them for years as they go to different cities and receive the cat calls, the heckling, the poor press, etc. How does this affect their employees and families? It will have devastating ramifications for a whole lot of people. Question – Do you consider reputation damage when thinking about crisis management? Do you ever think about crisis management?
I have to think that thee will be more penalties levied against players. Lawsuits may pop up. It’s truly a tragic situation. Bad judgement and poor behavior is not relegated to the NFL. It happens daily in business. Although they are purely for entertainment value, television shows like Mad Men and The Office, and cartoons like Dilbert often skim that surface of reality and we recognize it. That’s why we watch, read, and laugh at them. But nobody is laughing in New Orleans or in the NFL offices today. I know it’s a baseball axiom, but there is no joy in Mudville today. Make sure that you learn from others mistakes and avoid a similar fate in your business.
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
