Losing…

Leadership at my company and many others have been delivering their fiscal year messages during earnings calls and sales “kick-off” festivities.  For me, working from home and joining via Zoom is not a very festive setting, but I know these leaders are trying their best to raise employee enthusiasm. 

Recently, I was picking up horse manure in the corral (where I do some of my best thinking).  After reflecting on these messages and their tones – I told our horses I was disappointed.  I said it’s hard to be motivational when you “lose”.

From a sales perspective when companies fail to meet their quotas; they lose.  Annual sales quota is a key company mission and there’s a lot at stake.  Miss the number and people lose their jobs.  This past year many people (including my family and friends) at many companies lost their jobs.

It’s easy to talk about winning.  Winning in business, sports, academics, politics, literally all aspects of life has been glorified.  Losing? Well…

“Consul”, n:

In American politics, a person who having failed to secure an office from the people is given one by the Administration on condition that he leave the country.

Ambrose Bierce

Failing to meet sales quotas is easy to blame on the pandemic, maybe even justified.   I know we are all attempting to adjust to today’s reality:

Reality is that stuff which, no matter what you believe, just won’t go away.

David Paktor

The reality about our world is when bad things happen leadership must address it – no matter how difficult:

Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones. 

Donald Rumsfeld

In my opinion, too many leadership messages are coming across as 100% spin on losing sales performances.  They’ve stated, “everyone did their best” … “our results were remarkable in light of the pandemic” … “we were winning right up until the end of the year”.  Yep, many companies were winning; right up until the point - where they lost; and then people were fired.

I believe how leaders address losing is more important than how they celebrate winning.  In my opinion I want leaders’ messages to be more serious; less pleasant; more urgent; less “blue sky and sunshine”.  Like all companies, mine is engaged in a desperate economic battle for our very survival.  “Doing our best” may not cut it.

When the pandemic hit Donald Rumsfeld might have said unknown-unknowns cost companies successful sales years.  Today, these are now known-knowns and still extremely difficult; desperate really.  I’m not sure when we will be back to “normal”.

I think we all agree that losing is tough.  But when it happens, I’d like our leaders to address it openly, honestly, and passionately. The phrase “desperate times call for desperate measures” (originating from Hippocrates himself) applies to everyone today, true?

If we’re losing – let’s drop the “look on the bright side” spin and focus on doing whatever needs to be done to win. We can do it!  We must do it!

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.