4 Lessons From March Madness That Can Help Your Business GROW!

My husband and three sons are BIG college basketball fans, so March is a sacred month in our house. The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the greatest sporting events in the world and even draws in the casual fan with the annual tradition of filling out a bracket and guessing which Cinderella (small school) can make a run to the Final Four (oooh, I think we were all rootin' for ya, UCLA!😭). The screams of joy, disbelief, and amazement that were absent during the cancelled 2020 tournament have been back with a vengeance this month as an historic number of upsets has taken place as teams have fought to earn their spot in the Final Four (and maybe just maybe, get to experience the thrill of a buzzer beater as unbelievable as Suggs' last night! wow!).

As I’ve watched games over the last couple of weeks and learned the back stories of many of the schools, players, and coaches, I’ve noted 4 points that have helped many of the teams excel and I think can help each of us with our businesses.

1. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the NCAA basketball tournament, 68 teams are seeded #1-#16 by a selection committee. The #1 seeds are typically the familiar big name basketball schools that have had phenomenal seasons, while the lower seeds like the #15s and #16s are usually smaller schools that have typically earned their way into the tournament by winning their conference tournament and receiving an automatic bid. These are the schools that you typically have never heard of and require a Google to find their location. In the history of the tournament a #16 seed has only won one game, and prior to this season, #15 seeds had only won 8 times. However, this year Oral Roberts, a school of 4,000 students from Tulsa, Oklahoma shocked the world by beating the #2 seed Ohio State to become the ninth #15 seed to advance in the tournament. After the big win Oral Roberts player Kevin Obanor said, “We put our shoes on just as they put their shoes on. We just come out with that mentality of, ‘If you feel like you’re better than us, just prove it.” Kevin and his team believed they could compete with Ohio State and if they played to their potential they could win. Hearing this quote made me think, what do I believe about my business? Do I believe I can serve more clients and continue to improve my products? Do I believe that I can reach my growth goals? Do I believe in the value of my business? The first and often greatest obstacle many of our businesses face is our own disbelief. If doubt creeps into your mind, just like Oral Roberts, refocus your attention on the effort you’ve put in, the successes you’ve experienced, and re-channel that energy to activities and relationships that will build your belief. Remember everyone else puts their shoes on just like you do.

2. SOMETIMES YOU NEED A LITTLE LUCK 

I’ve been amazed how many games in this year’s tournament have come down to that one bounce of the ball or the one close call by the official. Put another way, a little bit of "luck" can be the differentiator. It’s been said that “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

So many things in basketball, our businesses, and lives are out of our control, but what we can control is our effort, our attitudes and our pursuit of opportunities that can help us find what some will call "luck". I have been a photographer for several years and have taken photos for yearbooks, t-shirt businesses, boutiques, and family photos, but was struggling to find my specific niche. Then one day, I have a photo shoot with an interior designer, when her friend "luckily" saw her behind-the-scences IG post (now, let's be real, I don't believe in luck, but God's divine orchestration, but let's continue the story...) This then led to an introduction to a successful teacherpreneuer and I was introduced to a brand new area (the TPT world) that I never knew existed! And the ball started rolling! Now over the last year and a half, I've been on an exciting adventure of serving teacher authors and launching a website, working with private clients, creating a monthly stock image membership, and photography course for teacherprenuers who want to take better pictures of their resources. Phew!! And it all started by having coffee with a friend of a friend (and a whole lot of God!). BUT I believe that nothing just falls in our lap, we HAVE to make the move, take those little chances, say "yes!" to that next introduction, or take that course could be the big breakthrough. 

When the Gonzaga coach was asked about his player's "lucky" final shot to win their Final Four game, he talked about how he makes those all the time in practiced! That guy has worked really hard to be that "lucky". How about you? Are you putting in the work to become "luckier"? 

3. LEARN FROM YOUR “PAINFUL GIFT”

Earlier I mentioned that in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament a #16 seed has beaten a #1 seed only once. That one time took place in 2018 when the University of Maryland Baltimore County defeated the overall top-seed in the tournament Virginia Cavaliers in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. That was a dark night in the Redgate household since Virginia is my husband's alma mater and his parents in particular have worked hard to create diehard Wahoo's out of all of us. Ugh, the heartbreak was real, imagine being out on that court, making history, just unfortunately on the side of it that you'd never wanted to be on.

To be the first #1 seed to lose in the tournament could be devastating for a program, but Virginia coach Tony Bennett chose to not let a valuable lesson in the midst of the pain and disappointment leave his team. From right after the loss, Coach Bennett labeled the game a “Painful gift.” Bennett constantly reminded his team that, “If you learn to use it right, the adversity, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn't have gone any other way." Bennett could not have been more right as his team in the very next season cut down the nets after fulfilling one of the greatest comebacks in basketball history by winning the 2019 championship. Can you imagine?!!! 

We all have those “painful gifts” in our business.  Maybe it’s a failed business, maybe it’s a product or launch that flopped, maybe it’s the loss of one of your biggest clients. Have you really sat with that experience and asked yourself what you learned through the failure and how you can use it to be even better today and in the future. Sometimes we win and sometimes we learn. 

4. COACHING MATTERS

As I have watched games this month, I’ve been impressed by a cadre of coaches that have led their teams into the tournament year after year. Getting their once is a career milestone, but some coaches find a way to get their team into the field year after year. For example, Coach Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University has gotten his teams into the tournament 34 times! Yall! 3-4 TIMES!!! If you were on Coach Boeheim’s team, his track record of success on the court would give you confidence that if you follow his lead and do what he says you have a pretty good chance of making it to "the Big Dance". We ALL need a great coach! In your business, do you have a coach or mentors you lean on? If not, you may be limiting or delaying your growth. I have had breakthrough moments in paid coaching experiences (James Wedmore and Graham Cochrane, thank you!), but also from a precious group of godly women surrounding me with encouragement and prayer, as well as, mentors from a far like John C. Maxwell, through books I've read, and podcasts I've loved like Not So Wimpy Entrepreneur Podcast and Dave Ramsey. The list could go on and on (perhaps that could be another post)! No matter the avenue, I encourage you to find a way this week to get coached by someone who is a specialist in an area you are looking to improve.

If you are a basketball fan, enjoy the rest of the tournament! If you aren’t, but still find yourself watching a game, know it's a lot more than getting the ball into the hoop, there is a lesson in it that can help your business!