Double Coverage

In the First Round of Playoffs, CBS had assumed the dubious task of trying to show all 32 games on one station. The first half of the day went fine, but then as the night wore one two games simultaneously went into overtime. Siena vs. Ohio State and Wisconsin vs. Florida State. What was CBS to do?

Both games were phenomenal to watch, both upsets (at least as far as my bracket was concerned); scores back and forth; time outs; last second shots . . .

I'm not even a huge basketball fan, but there I was, riveted. The directors at CBS were jumping from one game to the next; but not jumping, gliding. It was almost seamless. The entire country got to see both games at the same time; worried I'd miss a crucial moment, instead I felt like I had two TVs in my home. Heck, if I did have two TVs I would have missed more of each game than CBS gave me.

After watching Olympic coverage get worse every year, this was a miracle on the hardwood. Fan or no, you've got to respect how CBS handled the situation. They covered two games, in overtime, at the same time, giving we the customer a great product.

The economy is tough right now, a lot of companies are laying people off, not as in years past to suddenly boost company profits and value, but to survive. But the key shouldn't be just survival; companies need to still play to win. While making those tough decisions about who to keep and whom to let go, businesses need to not forget the value of keeping "the right people on the bus". Sooner or later money will flow again. If you don't have the right people directing the show, instead of delivering an amazing product, you're going to look unfocused and like you can't handle the coverage.

Momentum

Heading into next week's wild card games, and the talk is already of Momentum.

San Diego has won their last four; they'll be facing Indianapolis and their nine game winning streak - should be a great game!

In sports, momentum is the magic that explains why a team can be more than the sum total of it's players, whether within a single game or from this week to the next.

BYU should not have lost to Arizona, but take several weeks off after a big loss and you've got an uphill battle that even the best teams struggle to overcome.

A team that goes into a game on a winning streak has a confidence that even the best coach can't create.

Last weekend, son number three made the observation that his brother drawing a bye in the first round of a high school wrestling tournament could be the kiss of death. Why?

"Because in the second round he'll be going in cold while the guy he's wrestling just had a winning experience. He'll be loose and confident while my brother will be tight. I'd rather wrestle an extra match than sit for three hours, fighting to stay focused".

The same principle holds for our current economic woes: few companies seem to have the momentum that they did just a few short months ago. Retailers are going out of business, few companies seem to be hiring, and everyone is sitting around waiting for things to magically get better. It doesn't matter if it's fear or fact that has killed the momentum, the question is: what can we, The Coaches, do to infuse our businesses with momentum?

We've got to build morale; rally the troops. Don't sit around waiting for customers to come in, go out and get them! Call that client that's hesitant and give them an infusion of honest encouragement. Run an ad, let people know that you're still out there and you've come to play!

This is what “Diem perséquere!" is all about; don't wait for something to come by so you can "sieze" it, persue it, hunt it down, make it happen!