Image by flierfy via Flickr
I hope you watched the US Women play in the World Cup yesterday. Even if you don’t care much for soccer or for sport in general, this was one of the most thrilling and uplifting things I’ve seen. The US side, top-ranked in the world, played Brazil, the third-ranked squad. The game had just about everything one could want – high levels of skill, some controversy to spice it up, and unbelievable drama that played out right to the final play. As it turned out, for me there was a big business lesson as well.
The brief game recap is that the US went up 1-0 almost immediately (full game recap is here). Brazil was given a penalty kick which the US goalie saved but the refs allowed Brazil to take the kick a second time which was good. 1-1. Oh yeah – a US defender was sent off as well, so now the US is playing 10 vs. 11. Brazil scored in the first overtime to make it 2-1. The US spent the rest of overtime attacking but things looked bleak. With no more than a minute left, they scored to tie it up and force a penalty kick shootout, which they won. You had to see it to believe it.
So what’s the business lesson? Abby Wambach, who scored the tying goal, said it best: “The most important thing is to believe and trust in each other.” When they went down a goal and a player, there wasn’t screaming or quit in any of them. They continued to play as a team and didn’t become disorganized or panicked. Many of the players said that they were not going to quit until the last whistle blew. That’s something we forget sometimes in business.
When it seems as if market conditions or other external forces are conspiring against us (like horrible referees!) it’s easy to shrug one’s shoulders and rhetorically ask what can we do. It’s easy to point fingers (well, SHE got sent off and caused the penalty kick that tied the game) and forget it’s a team effort, win or lose.
As Jimmy V. said, “don’t give up – don’t ever give up.” It’s just as true in business as it is in sport and yesterday was a great example. Did you see it?
Consult Keith 
Truly one of the most inspirational moments ever found in sports. Many champions in the ‘major’ sports discuss teamwork and team, but as the season ends, you only hear from the MVP and the coach. There were 10 ladies on the pitch, but they were the equal of 11 players from a soccer powerhouse. You heard from many of the ladies who played fantastic soccer for the better part of sixty minutes. I have not been a fan of the coach of the US, but I was proven to be incorrect yesterday. She made the players put aside their personal differences, and play as one.
A friend of mine watching watching the game with his wife. She has zero interest in soccer, but was swept up by the activites on the field. As the US tied the score, apparently they both shrieked their approval. My friend then wondered if the neighbors thought that he was killing his wife, as the windows were open in their house.
The true fairy tale ending will hopefully play out this week, with two additional victories. Even if it does not end that way, as noted above, there is much to be learned from the lessons of Sunday.