As many of the readers of my blog and Marketing Audibles know, I am a lifelong Packer fan (thanks to my dear Grandmother). And yes, of course I am beside-myself-thrilled that my team made it to, and won the Super Bowl! Here are a few insights I gained during this year’s Super Bowl (even If you’re not a Packer fan):
- Singing: Apparently knowing all the words to The Star Spangled Banner is not a prerequisite to singing it. You can’t “remix” this song. I hope we never forget what is important about what we’re doing.
- Forgiving: Everyone makes mistakes. Jordy Nelson dropped 3 near perfect passes. But his QB kept passing to him! Many of us may have stopped after the first mistake and surely after the second. But Aaron Rodgers seemed to forgive, forget, and then continued throwing completing 9 passes to Nelson for 140 yards including a touchdown pass. Forgiving pays.
- Passion: Packers Charles Woodson, after he found out he had a broken collar bone and could not play in the 2nd half, was quoted saying to a sideline reporter, “I don’t think I’ve cried that much since I was a kid.” What if we felt that same passion for the work we do? What if more employees did?
- Labels: I guess we really shouldn’t believe the labels people assign us. Runner up to Defensive Player of the Year, Clay Matthews, was a walk-on player at USC and didn’t start until midway through his senior year. Aaron Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP, was lightly recruited out of high school with only one college showing interest. Later, he fell to 24th in the NFL draft. Believing the labels others give us, good or bad, can lead to a shortfall in the potential to success ratio. Mindset is more important than talent and talent is more important than talk.
- Heaven: I believe my Grandma was smiling down at the Packers winning on Sunday night.
Whoever said “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” was right – especially Sunday. Thank you Mr. Lombardi. Go Packers!
Maribeth Kuzmeski
Maribeth Kuzmeski, MBA is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. She is the author of 4 books, has frequently appeared on TV and radio, and has written articles on marketing strategies for hundreds of publications including Business Week and Entrepreneur. She regularly speaks to audiences on topics relating to business development, marketing, and sales strategies. Maribeth is author of The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley, September 2009).
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