Get Your Game On!

The Sales Guy and I share a deep love for the game of soccer.  We are not the most skilled players – you won’t see either of us rockin’ a bicycle kick or a intentional half maradona. But, we both possess a quality that has propelled us to put our hearts and souls into every game we’ve played – it’s called drive. And that drive is what makes us hypercompetitive individuals who want to win – always.

Our natural tendencies are to protect the goal (defense) and set up plays for our teammates, who are much better “equipped” to hit the back of the net.  And, in those very rare situations, hit the back of the net ourselves.  We will do anything our aging bodies are capable of doing to annihilate our competition.

The great Mia Hamm said, “You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.”   And how true it is both on and off the soccer field.

While The Sales Guy is financially motivated and his drive compels him to WANT to win, he can’t do it alone. That's especially because he’s not just trying to beat an individual in head-to-head competitive situations --he's trying to take out another team. He relies significantly on his company’s reputation, record of winning and competitive intelligence for the “assist.”  Otherwise, he’s sittin’ on the goal line waiting for a potentially 100 mph knuckle shot.

It’s amazing how many companies treat having competitive intelligence as a “side job” for one or two individuals in an organization rather than dedicate serious focus to it.  It would be like the New England Patriots only scouting their competition and creating game plans for only  5% of their games.  And, in many cases, doing it during the game rather than before. I can’t imagine Tom Brady would enjoy or be as successful as he has been heading into any game without feeling fully supported and knowing his competition very well.  It’s not just about who they are and what they offer but understanding what tactics they use and what limits they are willing to go to that help coaches and players form the winning offensive and defensive plays.   And, when executed, potentially leave a lasting, talked-about impression on the competition, which can put them on their heels and put the fear of God in them next time you play.

Case in point from my own experience.. I remember when my college team was in the ECAC Championship game my freshman year. My coach had the opportunity to scout our competition the prior day. Before our game, he caught me stretching and told me the right wing player I knew I'd be battling the entire game could  not handle tight dribbling if her gait was broken and she was "stood up." So, the info I had in hand was the team's record, familiarity with a few of the players and how good they were but this level of detail about HOW she played proved to be the single most valuable tip my coach could've given me the entire game.  While it didn't work 100% of the time, it was pretty darn close.  I "stood her up" every time she approached and, using my new move, stripped the ball or sent her out of bounds.  Each of my team members got a "nugget" on competition like this and we went on to win the championship and secure our 18-1 season record.

So, the bottom line here is you gotta get smart about your competitors and get on the offensive before the game begins.  And, then, during game time, intelligence (gained through conditioning) and animal instinct kick in.  And, as the game changes, that’s when The Sales Guy pulls out all his moves – giving and receiving solid basket-weave-passes and has a much better chance of hitting the back of the net and hearing “GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL.”