It’s my favorite time of year as we’re about to enter March Madness. Every basketball team in the country is preparing to make their final push and see if they have what it takes to make a run and win the championship.
What do I love about March Madness? It’s unpredictable, it’s intense, it’s full of surprises and upsets. Sounds a lot like leadership and personal growth.
Success this month is going to be determined by preparation, having a great strategy, being resilient, overcoming obstacles, adaptability and most of all being at your best when the pressure is on. If that doesn’t sound like your job on a daily basis, I don’t know what does.
Let’s talk about March Madness and how it applies to you and your business.
Planning and Preparation
If you want to win in the month of March you better be prepared. Ask yourself if you’ve put in the work necessary? Have you developed the winning habits that are going to serve you when you need the most? Do you know your role inside and out and more importantly do you know the role of others. Planning and preparation is key if you want to be successful in those crucial moments.
Where in your business and in your life can you improve on you planning and preparation? What skills can you further develop to improve your odds of winning?
Resilience
March Madness is a time for underdogs to rise up and pull of the upset. Regardless your level of planning and preparation, success in never guaranteed. High performing leaders and team recognize that things aren’t always going to go according to the plan. You may lose one of your best players, have a few calls go against you, miss some shots you normally make. How are you adjusting to the obstacles placed in front of you. Are you ready to pivot to a new plan when the one you came with is no longer working?
Think of a recent setback. How did you adjust when faced with an unexpected challenge? Where can you improve?
Teamwork
Success in not dependent on one person. No matter your level of talent or skill you can’t win all by yourself, you need a team to win. Teams that communicate effectively and trust each other, perform at much higher levels. Strong leaders focus on building relationships, delegating responsibilities, and empowering their teams to do their jobs. In the month of march, you never know which team member is going to have to step up and make a big play in the critical moment. Have you instilled your team the confidence to do so when they are called upon?
What are you doing to build communication, collaboration, confidence and trust with your team?
Ability to Perform Under Pressure
In the final moments of the game, mindset matters as much as talent. Effective leaders and teams seem to be at their best when the pressure is on. What is your level of composure in the most challenging situations? How do you keep your mindset and focus on the task at hand to put yourself and your team in the best possible situation and have a chance to make that game winning shot?
Remember, no one cares about leadership when you’re winning so create a plan to be at your best in the toughest situations.
March Madness is truly an amazing time of the year. How you prepare yourself and your teams to be at their best will make all the difference between winning your own version of championship and cutting down the nets, or going home early.
Let the Madness begin.
Cheers to you and to winning your own version of March Madness
One Quarter Turn at a Time
Coach Tim
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