04/06/2026
Are you prepping for the game or are you prepping for the win?
That's the underlying leadership lesson that surfaced for me after the unsportsmanlike ending to the Women's South Carolina vs. UConn game. I debated chiming in, and am choosing to skip the obvious issues that arose that afternoon, but couldn't skip this valuable lesson that came to me after the dust had settled.
Here's my short take on why it all went south... Coach Staley prepped herself and her team for the GAME. Coach Auriemma prepped himself and his team for the WIN.... and banking on keeping their perfect record.
And here's the leadership lesson, wrapped in one of my favorite things - basketball - the team that shows up prepared for the game at hand and plays every last minute until the ref says it's over almost always has an advantage over the team that shows up thinking they're favored to win. We've seen it time and time again every March, where an "underdog" team knocks out a high ranking team and it's considered an "upset." What they really did was show up more prepared for the task at hand without focusing on the end result ahead of the final whistle.
So how does this translate back into our everyday lives as business owners and leaders. Prepare yourself and your team for the task at hand and leave the "winning" for later. Confidence in your ability to execute successfully is very different than overconfidence that you already "have it in the bag."
Which leads me to one last basketball example at the highest level.... The year the Lakers beat the Sixers in the final. If you go back and watch his interviews, Shaq talks about wanting to go undefeated that year as well. And then admits openly, after the fact, that he wasn't really worried about the Sixers. But then they came to Philly ... and AI said "I'm not going out without a fight," and put 1 L on the Lakers record.
So, one more time for the people in the back - Are you prepping for the game or are you prepping for the win?
Do the work FIRST, then if and when you get the W ... and only then, take the time to celebrate. And please do so in an honorable way.