6 Great Takeaways from Sports & Football 🏈
Well, it’s Super Bowl Sunday! 🏈 🌭 🍻
And for those that know me, I’m a huge Steelers fan! #steelernation
I know, I know, it’s a disappointment again the Steelers didn’t make the playoffs or the Super Bowl but I appreciate so much that they’re always in the conversation.
So today is a great time to reflect on some of the lessons that I’ve taken away from being a Steelers fan, and particularly, following along with just two coaches the Steelers have had since I’ve been following them from 1994 — Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.
“You’re never as good as you think you are— But also, never as bad either”
What a grounding statement.
Reminding us to stay level-headed. Not get too down, not get too high.
Losing yourself too long in the ups and downs is reflective of being too attached to an outcome, or a result.
It’s a sign that we may have things out of balance.
Focus on the journey instead. Enjoy the climb. 🏔️
“The Standard is the standard”
The epitome of a great culture.
Believing that the actions you take, the work you’re doing, is bigger than any one individual, including yourself.
It’s a constant reminder to build the systems, ensuring people in your organization assimilate and contribute, and as a team, you deliver together.
Not to play the victim when we’re dealt a bad hand, or when we’re not in the most optimal state to take advantage of a situation.
Use what you have, and uphold the standard!
“It’s not what you’re capable of, it’s what you’re willing to do”
This one always hit me deeply, and the speech Mike Tomlin gives to a youth group needs to be watched.
So many of us are deluded that others have something special. That others are born more talented, faster, stronger, and luckier.
But they’re really not.
We’re not special, we’re all the same.
And in sports, business, and family, we’re all just about as talented as the next.
What separates us, is ‘What we’re willing to do’.
To put in the work.
To show up.
Even when we don’t want to.
“We’re always trying to put that eight pounds into a 5-pound bag”
Ok
This one’s pretty funny.
But so reflective of what we, as startup founders and entrepreneurs are always trying to do.
Obtaining success, with less.
Constantly having too many expenses for a budget.
Not enough staff to do all the tasks.
And not enough time in the day to fit in all those great ideas.
The work is never done.
Keep stuffing that 8 pounds in your 5-pound bad. 🎒
“Nameless grey faces”
It’s a great metaphor and saying of Mike Tomlin that applies to business.
One of our values at Userlot I love is to “play well with others”.
Don’t spend so much time dwelling on your competitors, or what feature they just announced.
You be you, believe in what you’re building, and know that we play the long game.
Your competitors are always just nameless grey faces. 🌚
“It’s Pittsburgh, we don’t run from it we run to it”
Coach is talking about the weather here ⛈️
But it applies to everyday life and business.
The weak see challenges and resistance as something to avoid, to run away from.
We, the successful 😉, seek it out, and lean into it.
Our dedication to our craft, and the hours of behind the scene practice and preparation, allow us to thrive when others would fall.
You know, growing up, I identified much more as a nerdy academic and shied away from being a sports fan.
But I missed out on something.
I don’t really have regrets, but if I did, this would be one of them.
There’s a reason that sport has such great metaphors around high-performance mindsets.
You don’t get to the top of your field in sports, if you don’t concentrate every day, show up, and do the fundamentals.
Practicing harder than you play.
And it’s the same for the challenges we get in our businesses.
Every day.
The fundamentals lead you to build a better product.
The fundamentals lead you to close that new deal.
And, the fundamentals lead to wins on a Sunday. 🎊
We are not unique. We are all human.
That’s what makes us rock 🤘
I write on Medium for my own personal thoughts, and you can follow along with my company Userlot here — https://www.linkedin.com/company/userlot
P.S. You have to be a big fan when you’re from Australia 🇦🇺 as it means waking up at 3 am to watch games
P.S. The Steelers have had only 3️⃣ coaches since 1969! The Standard IS the Standard.
