What a game last night!

While I am not a huge baseball fan or a Cubs fan, I watched the marathon game and was on the edge of my seat like most everyone else..

Pundits are calling it the greatest game 7 in World Series history and they’re probably right.

Wasn’t it nice to get a respite from the slime that that is the presidential race and watch something pure? (Well not quite a complete respite, we were still subjected bottom of the barrel political ads.)

The Perfect Metaphor

Game 7 and the Cubs victory was a near perfect metaphor about the entrepreneurial journey.  Think about it:

The Cubs start out strong. Whenever someone engages in a new business or new project, their enthusiasm is high and, in most cases, they get some some, early victories.

As the game progressed, it became more and more difficult for the Cubs. And they made some questionable personnel decisions and the tide turned against them and all the momentum shifted in the Indian’s favor.

There are times as a leader that you are going to need to make tough decisions, including personnel decisions. You will need to act fast. You will be second-guessed. Some of your decisions will not work out as you hoped they would. But, as the leader of your business, you need to decide and oftentimes quickly.

Things looked bleak for the Cubs. They had lost their big lead and what once looked like certain victory was now very much in question. Star relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who gave up the tying runs was devastated and reportedly crying during the rain delay.

The Harsh Reality Of Business

The hard-truth is that you can be the best at what you do and try your hardest to win and end up with a less than favorable result. That’s business and life. No one wins all the time. It’s what you do after that makes the difference between a temporary setback and longer term failure.

The rain delay couldn’t have occurred at a better time for the Cubs. It allowed the team to regroup, to refocus, to reconnect with who they are and what their goals were.

Take Time For This And This…

There is a huge lesson for us as entrepreneurs and one that we need to heed. There are times when we need to step out of the fray, reflect and regroup. Oftentimes when things aren’t going as planned and we’re struggling, we keep pushing and pushing and pushing – exhausting ourselves without making progress.

Far better would be to take a break, take a breath, refocus and then come back strong. Note that there wasn’t too long of a rain delay just as we can’t stay away from the game too long.

The final victory for the Cubs didn’t come easy and, up until the last out, the outcome was in question. But they kept fighting and battling until the last out.

The metaphor is obvious and doesn’t need explanation.

The final lesson we can glean from this exhilarating victory is simply this: After you get your victory, take time to celebrate. This is tough for most entrepreneurs but it’s important. Celebrate your wins and appreciate what you’ve accomplished – you worked damn hard to get it.

Kick butt, make mucho DEEnero!

Dave “Cubs Win!” Dee

P.S. A quick reminder that I’m doing a LIVE training next Wednesday about doubling your closing percentage and income when selling one to one. This is advanced stuff not 101 sales training. It’s free but you do need to reserve your spot here.