Management and Why the Giants Won Super Bowl XLII
(tenth in a series titled Issues Managers Face in the Workplace)
New York’s own Giants won Super Bowl XLII. How did a team of regular guys get by the one team destined for greatness? The New England Patriots, one game away from an undefeated season and winners of three of the last six Super Bowls! The Giants last held the title in 1991. The Giants were 12 point underdogs going into this game. And then the week-long pre-Bowl festivities were over, the fans in the stands, and the game began…
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“I think we just had a great will on this team, just a great group of guys. There was something special about this group. We were determined and we had great faith in ourselves. We had leaders across the board in every aspect. Everybody knew their role and their responsibility. No matter what we’ve been through, I think it’s helped that a lot of the players have been together for the last three or four years. We’ve just learned to deal with adversity and learned how to overcome mistakes, a bad play or a disappointment, and put it behind us and forget about it. We just had total faith and confidence that no matter what is thrown at us, we can handle it and we can overcome it.”
- Giants Quarterback Eli Manning (from Giants site)
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Big plays
Making big plays is part of winning in business or anywhere else. Anticipating and preparing for big plays allows one to execute them when necessary. Should you build your team so you only reach your department/organization goals with big plays? Of course not. But be prepared when your team is called to step up and deliver…big.
Consistent Defense
The Giants’ defensive team did not play a perfect game. They played a consistent game. Not predictable, but dependable. That is where your team can learn to deliver each day. Not perfectly, not predictably - dependably. Efficient and effective.
Never Give Up
You are competing every day. For resources, budget dollars, revenue, and clients. Really, for your very job. Many cliches come to mind. Facing adversity together as a team builds character, resiliency, and faith. Reality is, it really isn’t over until the end. Never.
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Want more on never giving up? For a football themed book, try the biography “When Pride Still Mattered - A Life of Vince Lombardi” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Maraniss.
Stumble it!
Joe Raasch :: Feb.19.2008 :: Employee Engagement, Innovation, Leadership, Performance Management ::
Great post!
Let’s not forgot one other item…..simply put……teamwork and superb chemistry among the players!! Believe the Packers had that too! One less errant pass by Favre, and your post above might have been referring to the Pack!!
robert edward cenek
Cenek Report
http://www.cenekreport.com
Joe,
Great lessons extracted from a great story. While having skills on various levels - solid performance with the ability to produce exceptional instances of it when the situation demands - is clearly important, I think the prize from your 3 lessons goes to this one: never give up.
This is an attitude that is relevant both for the entrepreneur and the manager. It gets the project off the ground, and it keeps it in the fight. When it isn’t confused with blind-stubbornness, it adds flexibility in method to reinforce progress toward ultimate goal.
Thanks for a great post!
Robert -
Thanks for visiting! You’re right, that ‘dynasty’ chemistry is key. It is difficult to create or ID, but we all know it when we see/experience it. As for the Packers…
Jim -
You’ve picked up the hardest part of managing: the final push to finish. So much effort goes into planning, stabilizing, getting a project through dark days and long nights. Then the wheels appear to fall off right before the finish line. The best never give up and make it, even it they have to slide in sideways!
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