“The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses; it is won behind the scenes, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
The scoreboard tells you what has happened. The sweat logged in practice tells you why it happened. Too many managers and leaders think the scoreboard is all that matters.
Fact is, in work, play and life, we tend to end up exactly where we point ourselves.
Muhammad Ali might have been the greatest athlete of our time. (No political or religious commentary here. I’m just suggesting that he might have been, pound-for-pound, the best ever at what he did, in his prime…)
Ali’s approach to preparation begs the question, “Am I focused on the right things?” and also the question, “What one thing can I do differently or better TODAY that will pay the greatest dividends TOMORROW?”
When I remember Ali, I remember how much fun he had. When he danced under those lights, he really danced. He had fun in a job where the competition consisted of big, angry men who were literally trying to knock his head off. I used to wonder why he had so much fun when the stakes were so high.
Ali won — and had fun — because he didn’t just rely on the over-supply of talent he brought to the ring. He outworked, out-planned and out-prepared his competition.
Think Michael Jordan in the 90’s when the “lights” were shining on a basketball court.
Or, how about a non-sports comparison with close ties to the idea of trying to knock one’s head off…
Think John Roberts a few years back when the “lights” were shining on his confirmation hearing. The senators trying to torpedo him had reams and stacks of papers and lists of questions designed to trick him. Smart men and women, for the most part, they’d relied on their minions to prep them, to script them for the debate. Roberts had a career — a lifetime, really — based in the discipline of judging. He knew that the sweat and effort and commitment and sacrifice he’d put in over his career was enough. He sat there, without a pencil or pad, eyes straight ahead, knowing the outcome before the bell ever rang.
What in our preparation will help us make a difference?
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