Team

A few years ago, the most improbable and best comeback of all time in the NFL happened in Super Bowl LI. Myself being a Patriots fan it was an amazing experience.

Some have even called it the greatest Super Bowl of all time, which I don’t agree with frankly. The outcome of the game isn’t what is important, however. It’s the message that is sent and the lesson learned from the game. I’d like to share with you three lessons that I took away from that cold night in February. 

1. TEAM

If you’ve followed my writings for a while you know that I’m a big fan of acronyms. ROAR is my formula for life success. Risk, Opportunity, Action, Reward. My book SALES 4 Event Pros has received rave reviews and in the second edition we made the word “sales” an acronym for Search, Approach, Learn, Explain, Solve. The acronym for TEAM (which you may be familiar with) is Together Everyone Achieves More. This isn’t the time for selfish behavior. How does that apply to your business? Let’s explore that a little more.

My team knows that I will never ask them to do something that I wouldn’t do. I am not above organizing or sanitizing anything. Neither is my team. We are part of a team for each client we serve. Our motto is this. Whatever it takes to make the event the most successful and memorable it can be. If someone else is having an issue, find a way you can help them.

2. Never Give Up

The Patriots didn’t give up when they were losing 28-3 in the 3rd quarter and neither should you. We all have dark and gloomy times in our businesses. Sales slumps exist. Your best employee is going to betray you. It happens. We’re all human. The best advice I can give to you for when that happens is to think like an NFL quarterback in that situation.  Just because you threw a pick (er, screwed something up) don’t dwell on it. Move on. Wipe it from your memory and be prepared to ROCK the next item on your list or client moment.

Take a step back. Go and read your latest client reviews. These people BELIEVED in you. Believe THEM when they lavish praise on you and bring yourself back to the purpose of why you do what you do. 

3. Finally, my favorite one of them all

My daughter was watching the game with me that year and during the game, she asked me a question. She said, “Dad, what are you most thankful for?” I thought for a moment and told her I was most thankful for one thing and that it was one word with two syllables. She looked up at me quizzically with her big brown eyes and said “Freedom?”, to which I replied, “That’s a really good guess Kendall but that’s not what I was thinking about.”  

I told her the word and what I was most thankful for was a heartbeat. Your heartbeat is your purpose for living. Heartbeat ties into the above two lessons as well. As a TEAM, you should NEVER GIVE UP. Your HEART should BEAT as one. The reality at that point is that it’s no longer about YOUR single heartbeat. It’s about the heartbeats of everyone else around you coming together to create that moment for your two clients who have become one on their wedding day.

Next time you think “Oh…that’s not my job”, remember this: You are all on a team. Set aside your personal goals and function as one for the greater good of the event and your clients’ experience. There is no “I” in the team, most of us have heard that before. The reality is if you throw the letter “I” in the team it becomes “imbalanced”. It’s not about you. It’s about the heartbeat of those whom you serve. Together Everyone Achieves More.

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