What Football Has To Do With Your Business
What Football Has To Do With Your Business
Recently Brett Favre, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, broke the all-time NFL touchdown record. As a fan of football and Green Bay (I grew up in Wisconsin) I've had the opportunity to watch Favre over the years, and I also realized how his career provides some valuable business-building lessons.
How? Because success is success, whether you've built a multi-billion dollar company, written a dozen best-selling novels or are a famous quarterback. Many of the same mindset and principles are the same no matter how the success manifests itself. What's nice about sports is first, it's public (the games are televised and the players are forever being interviewed so you can get to know them a little) and second, you can see things unfold in a short amount of a time. An entire game is completed in 3 hours, compared to business where you don't always see success or failure that fast (although sometimes it feels like it!)
That said, this is where I'll share the first 3 of a total of 6 principles (both good and bad) you can learn from Favre to become a more successful business owner.
1. Favre is willing to take chances. Watch Favre any given Sunday and you'll see him throw into double coverage, triple coverage, or just in the general direction of a player wearing green and gold. And, more times then it should, it works. The receiver makes this spectacular catch and the rest of us all wonder how on earth he pulled it off.
That's what successful people do. They take chances. They see an opportunity and they seize it. And they do it fast. They make a decision and it's done. They see an opening between the defenders and they whip the ball in there for an amazing play.
2. Favre's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. As a Green Bay fan, you end up holding your breath as you watch Favre throw. Because it's a toss up whether you'll be cheering a spectacular throw or groaning because he just threw an interception.
It's really no surprise that 2 weeks after he broke the touchdown record, he also broke the record for most NFL interceptions. And, I'm sure he's not done piling up either the touchdown throws or the interceptions. (In fact, his very first throw in the NFL was an interception that was run back for a touchdown.)
Why does he throw so many interceptions? Because of that willingness to take chances. He makes throws he has no business making, and sometimes it bites him.
Now, there are two lessons here to learn. One is, keep an eye on your greatest strengths because if you overuse them, they're also your greatest weaknesses. I'm not saying don't capitalize on your strengths, I'm saying keep your eyes open and be willing to admit when your strength has led you down the wrong path (and be willing to do something about it.)
The other lesson is of perseverance. Would Favre had broken the NFL record for touchdown passes if he allowed all those interceptions to get him down? No. And not only that, it never even stopped him from taking chances. He'll throw an interception, get right back into the game and take the same chance.
Not all the chances or opportunities you take in your business are going to work out. You'll have losses and set backs and heartaches and everything else. And what you have to learn to do is not allow it to stop you. Sure, maybe the chance you seized yesterday was a total disaster, but that doesn't mean the chance you seize tomorrow will be the best thing that ever happened in your business. And if you let yesterday's failure prevent you from tomorrow's success, you'll never break that touchdown record.
3. Favre plays to win, not to not lose. Favre wants to win. Period. That's why he takes chances. That's why he makes throws he has no business making. Because he's out there to win. He's not out there to not lose the game.
This may sound like a subtle difference, but it's actually huge. When you play to not lose, what happens? You suddenly get very conservative on the chances you take, the opportunities you go after, and even all the choices you make. If you're playing to win, now it's a whole different ball game. Even just saying it, playing to win, has a whole different energy level. It feels more alive, more passionate. Now you're making entirely different choices because you want to win -- not to not lose.
What Football Has To Do With Your Business - To learn more about this author, visit Michele Pariza Wacek's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
![]() | |
| |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
|
| |
| |||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
![]() | |
![]()
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |||||||
|
![]() | ||
|
| ||
![]() |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
![]() |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
![]() |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() | ||
|
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | ||
|
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009
Top 50 Niche Blogs 2009 | ||
![]() | ||
![]() | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||













Subscribe to Michele's articles











