Team sports hold so many important lessons. At face value, the collective objectives are crystal clear. Score points. Play defense. Win. The results are not open to interpretation. But there are different ways to go about achieving the desired results. Is it about winning at any cost? Is it about humiliating our opponents in the process? Or is it about doing things the right way?
Our high school football coach, Mr. Jim Fegan, was all about winning with class. Of course, we needed to practice, exert discipline, sacrifice, and put in the hard work. But beyond those fundamentals, he constantly reminded us that sportsmanship was paramount. Penalties were frowned upon. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? Better go straight to the locker room once you came off the field!
And celebrating victories was something we did as a team. Any individual celebration before we shook hands with our opponents was not tolerated. And if someone was fortunate enough to score a touchdown? The expected behavior would be to hand the ball to the referee and head toward your teammates on the sidelines. If a player threw their hands in the air in wild celebration, spiked the ball, or (perish the thought!) danced around in the end zone, the response from Coach Fegan was as inevitable as death and taxes. A solitary baritone voice would cascade over the gridiron:
“Son, act like you’ve been there before!”
It was a perfect reminder that the team was bigger than the individual. When one person scored, the whole team scored. And solo celebrations and “showing up” your opponents would never be tolerated.
And those lessons have taken on even greater significance with the passage of time.
Expect to Win
The ability to “act like you’ve been there before” is not just about good sportsmanship. This mentality can help foster a culture of excellence. When the expectation is to win, it creates a mindset that breeds more victories. We no longer feel the need to advertise our greatness. We no longer focus on our competition. It’s about our team. And that goes for sales victories, company market share, athletics, family accomplishments, or even game night at the neighbor’s house. As our victories pile up, we understand the sensation of winning together. And we come to expect such results from ourselves and our team.
Life is a Circle
But this mindset is also helpful when the tide turns against us. Every team has an off game. Every salesperson has a down year. Every entrepreneur has a failed startup. Every one of us has made a misstep or a regrettable mistake. If we incessantly beat our chest or disrespect our opponents in the good times, it will be even harder to stay resilient in the down times.
People have long memories. And they are less likely to help blowhards and egotists. If you spent your career focused on your individual accolades at the expense of the team, it will be harder to recover from a slide. If you have created a world where you are the center of the universe, where do you turn to when the middle has collapsed? Resilience is a team sport. We need the help of our colleagues and loved ones to help us recover. And if we have always “acted like we have been there before”, our teammates will have our back. Our trusted colleagues and loved ones will ensure our rise back to the top. Life is a circle. And the circle will be unbroken.
We Need to Celebrate Together
That is not say that we should mute our celebrations. Victories, in sports, and in life, should bring out the emotions in all of us. Fist-pumping. High-fiving. Hugging. Popping the champagne. We have earned it and our victories should be recognized with passion. But these should NOT be individual actions we throw in the face of our opponents. We need to enjoy these moments with our team. We need to recognize our loved ones who have helped us climb the ladder.
Winning is something we should come to expect. And our accomplishments will be so much more meaningful when we recognize and celebrate together. Thank you, Coach Fegan. The world is a better place when we act like we have been there before.