The Marathon and The Sprint
All of my friends and many of my clients know that I am a passionate fan of baseball and a loyal fanatic of the Atlanta Braves. Last week our long marathon of a season ended with shock, grief and disappointment. With three weeks of baseball left we held a commanding lead for the “wild card” spot in the National League. Our broadcasters were talking about wrapping things up early enough to rest our best players and prepare for the playoffs.
With three games left we only needed to win one game, and we were up against a team that was very good but had nothing on the line. On Wednesday night we found ourselves one strike away from victory, and by Thursday morning we were on the outside looking in. It took a weekend for me to recover enough to reflect on what can be discovered from experiences like the demise of teams like the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox. As part of my own healing process, allow me to offer some insights that can be employed in your life and leadership.
- What happens on one part of your team impacts every other part of your team: All season long the Braves offense was…offensive. It was one of the worst in the league in getting hits when runners were in position to score. What carried them through was an amazing pitching staff filled with good starters and very good relievers. However, because of the offense being poor they were forced to compete in close games all season long and ended up over taxing their pitching. In the end, the team was let down by their strength. On a team you can’t isolate your weakness, it will always tax your strength.
- There is no substitute for a good substitute (In other words, depth matters): In any sport there will be injuries, trades, slumps and personal distractions. The same is true in business. What is essential is having a plan in place to plug in new talent. The team that creates the broadest base of talent will typically defeat a team with a handful of superstars.
- It is both a marathon and a sprint: Every baseball fan understands that regular season of baseball is the longest of any professional sport. It has been said that the regular season is a marathon, while the playoffs are a sprint. The last week of the season dispels that myth because at some point, every marathon becomes a sprint. While you must plan and strategize for the long run, the team that wins often does so because they out perform their competition in the critical moments.
