Pulling off the big win!
In 1967, my father had a friend in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a radio sports announcer, his name was Phil Samp. My dad would meet with him when he traveled to Cincinnati for business and one day, Mr. Samp and my dad met, he told my dad to get in early on this new football team starting up in Cincinnati, the Bengals.
When the team announced their season tickets would go on sale, my dad was the second person in line, yes, you had to stand in a line in 1967, to get season tickets. My dad got the tickets and we started attending the games starting in 1968. The first game my dad took me to at Nippert Stadium was against the Buffalo Bills. One of the players I had the opportunity to meet was Sam Wyche, quarterback for their first team and later head coach who led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII.
So when the Bengals went to Buffalo to play in the divisional round on January 22, 2023, there was more involved for me than just a playoff game, it took me back to 1968 and that first game I attended. After the Bengals pulled off that big win, I watched an interview with Joe Burrow in which he discussed his mindset and how he became who he is so quickly so early in his career. It was something I learned early in my business career and is a strategy the greatest leaders use to lead their teams to pull off the big wins which become their legacy.
Preparation leads to confidence and confidence gives you the ability to anticipate.
If you look back through history, General Washington used this strategy to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War when he brought Baron Von Steuben to Valley Forge in 1778. Von Steuben set the standards for how to put together a self-functioning camp with sanitation, how to lead troops, and conduct war. He prepared the troops which gave them confidence and allowed General Washington to anticipate how he was going to conduct the war to triumph.
On January 15, 2009, the same strategy was executed in the cockpit and the cabin. The crew had prepared for years for potential tragic situations. The Captain and First Officer employed all those moments of preparation during those few key moments with confidence they could get the plane in the water and anticipated the potential risks of the choices they had, eventually making the correct call to give the highest probability for success, then pulled it off.
In the cabin, all the moments I had throughout my life prepared me to manage my state as the plane was going down. When I heard my mother speak to me when I got to the aisle, that moment gave me confidence that I was not alone and had my Rock with me to anticipate what might happen next and do what I had to do. My parents made me learn to swim so when that decision had to be made, I had the confidence to be able to swim fully clothed to the ferry as when I was going for my junior lifeguard certification, I had to swim fully clothed in the pool.
I wrote in a blog about the mindset of the GOAT, Tom Brady a few years ago. The way he became the GOAT was he prepared so much, putting the reps in so he had the confidence that he could do it when he had to pull off the big win. Brady said that he did so many reps and prepared for each game that when he gets to the line of scrimmage, there is never a defense that was presented that he hadn’t seen before, upping his odds to pull off the big play. Preparation leads to confidence which gives you the ability to anticipate.
When Tony Robbins and I spoke about becoming his head of security, I asked him if there was one skill he saw in me that opened the opportunity to serve. He told me my ability to anticipate was key because you better know what’s coming, and he saw that I used anticipation. Tony says, “Leaders anticipate, and losers react.” He recommended the book, The Fourth Turning, to help me understand how to anticipate on a bigger scale. If you watched Tony’s career, especially during and after the pandemic, anticipation is a key skill he employs and looks for in the people he surrounds himself with.
As you go about executing your mission and annual goals, spend a few minutes a day researching those leaders in all industries who stand out. The one consistent skill they all have is they
Focus on preparation which gives them the confidence to be able to anticipate the right choice for their life or business allowing them to PULL OFF THEIR BIG WIN!
Preparation comes from all the moments you have throughout your life and that is the reason that
All the MOMENTS in your life MATTER!
Have a LIMITLESS mindset, so you can create opportunity from uncertainty! PIVOT turmoil into opportunity and challenges into SUCCESS!
Dave Sanderson is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, philanthropist, and survivor of the Miracle on the Hudson. For more than four decades, he has been a top producer for some of the largest sales teams in the world. More than 250,000 people have enjoyed his business and personal leadership events’ warmth, humor, and inspirational message.
He shows how to “create opportunity from uncertainty. ®”
On January 15, 2009, Dave was one of the last passengers off the plane that crashed into the Hudson River, best known as The Miracle on the Hudson, considered to be the most successful ditching in aviation history.
He is an author and contributing author of three internationally bestselling books, including Moments Matter, Brace for Impact, 1 Habit for Success: SmartFem Summit Special Edition, and his latest book, From Turmoil to Triumph.
After thirty-five years in sales and sales leadership with roles in companies such as ADP, Peoplesoft, KPMG, and Oracle, Dave founded his executive coaching and personal leadership firm Dave Sanderson Speaks International, on January 15, 2014. As a sought-after international speaker, he works with established and emerging leaders and entrepreneurs to help them find their DISTINCT ADVANTAGE, aligning with their passion and purpose by employing their leadership skills and igniting their performance through focused execution, resourcefulness, and gratitude.
In addition to his 35 years in sales and sales leadership, he was the Director of Security for Tony Robbins for over ten years and was recently named one of the top 100 Leadership Speakers in Inc.com.
Dave has spoken at countless fundraisers that have raised over $14.8M for the American Red Cross.
He is passionate about raising money for military veterans and supporting those veterans who have going through hard times.