If you watched the Rose Bowl last week, like most of us, you experienced quality talent that transcends ‘normal’ and if we look past the natural God given talents displayed that day, we find valuable lessons we can apply to our lives in life and business.
Two Heisman Trophy winners on one side of the ball, a young man about to make his mark on the other and a host of talent, NFL scouts and General Managers drooling over all three. And the talent did not disappoint…hats off to both teams for great seasons and for giving us a game of a lifetime.
There is a spectrum of talent and though we all can’t be Reggie or Matt or Vince, we can understand and emulate the attributes that make them successful. Here are a few gleaned from the post game interviews and all the data sportscasters could possibly provide.
Goals: Each of these men is driven by personal goals. They know what they want and remain focused on the goals set forth.
Prepared: Reggie and Vince have superman God given talents and Matt is an elite pocket passer perfect for a career in the NFL. But natural talent is not enough and these talented performers understand that putting in the hours of hard work to be prepared for all the game challenges they and their teams face is the only way they can succeed.
Optimism: Reggie may have started taking over football games at age 8 but he has had a relentless optimism that has allowed him to overcome obstacles and life challenges. Vince was hit by a car at age 9 and spent time in the hospital…he has a long scar up his belly as a reminder of the surgery it took to fix him. The scar serves as a reminder that he will prevail if he stays positive and works through the challenges he faces.
Grace: With the bright lights on and the whole world watching these men were gracious winners and losers. They kept the situation in much better perspective than the fans and broadcasters. Reggie and Matt visited the Texas locker room after the game and in post game interviews Vince congratulated USC on the game, their season and abilities.
In our world of ‘gotcha’ politics and news shows it was a welcomed pleasure to see how these ‘stars’ of the moment conducted themselves on the national stage. We all should learn an important lesson from their actions.
So what does all this fawning over sports figures have to do with quality talent in the talent force? Sports are a metaphor for business because it works. We all need personal and business goals, we must prepare ourselves for the work we do, optimism is the first step to finding solutions and we should practice graciousness daily as we could stand more ‘niceness’ in our world…at home, at work and abroad.
So much for the corny blog comparing a game to work, however we all must admit, ( and writing from Austin I am biased ) the Rose Bowl 2006 will be remembered as one of the, if not THE greatest American sports competition in our lifetime.
Thank you Trojans, Longhorns, Reggie, Matt and Vince…you all are special
