David Martin & Company

Work Smarter. Dream Bigger.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Our Services
  • Our Clients
    • Our Clients Say
  • Contact Us
  • Your Account

How resilient would YOU have been?

May 9, 2016 by David Martin Leave a Comment

I just watched a 30-second video clip of a most bizarre ending to a high school softball game.

These 30 seconds provide a fantastic hyper-speed-tutorial in resilience that applies to every leader who ever plans to do something great.

Whenever you stretch for a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG), obstacles, failures and surprises are mandatory.

The BHAG for both softball teams was winning their District Championship. Finesse and talent is rarely the differentiator between winners and losers.

What separates the wishers from the winners is how they recover from the inevitable setback, aka, resilience.

Resilience has at least two dimensions that matter:

  1. How much can you recover. Do you bounce back by 10%? 75% 100% — or even more than 100%? Do you help others recover?
  2. How fast can you recover. Do you languish in the loss or do you bounce back rapidly?

Speaking of YOUR big game…. the EARLY ENROLLMENT DEADLINE for the online Mind to Win™ program is tomorrow night.

Save $400 when you enroll today.

In the case of this softball game, both HOW MUCH and HOW FAST mattered.

Both teams thought the game was over. But the team that realized it could keep playing AND who recovered more and faster won the game. Sounds like life, right?

I watched the video over and over, isolating on one player at a time. It’s fascinating to watch how each player responded — how much and how fast. Here’s the clip. It’s worth your 30 seconds.

If you don’t want a play-by-play, skip this greyed-in section.

The team on the field was up 6 to 4 in the bottom of the final inning with two outs. They could win the game and the tournament.

The losing team was at bat with the bases loaded.

The batter hit an easy grounder to the shortstop who threw it to second base to force out the runner from first as she slid into the bag.

That’s when everything went crazy. For a moment, both teams assumed incorrectly that the runner had been called out and the game was over.

The team on the field began a wild celebration while the team at bat collapsed in defeat — for a moment. Then the 3rd base coach got the runners to keep running and the coaches of the partying infielders eventually got them to realize the ball was still in play.

The runner from first base slid into home just as the left fielder grabbed the ball and ran to the plate to tag her out, a split second too late. Game over. Another celebration ensued.

This game is a time-compressed version of leading massive change.

If you’re doing big work, you’re going to fall and fail. It’s all new territory. Your plans never hold up to full contact with the real world. You’re going to get stuck and get confused and get annoyed.

Messiness and confusion are a given. What matters is:

  1. How much will you recover?
  2. How fast will you recover?

Sometimes, it’s almost imperceptible that you’ve stumbled.

Hopefully, you will know for yourself. But extra eyes can help.

In the video, coaches from both teams saw that their players had quit too soon, and they got their players back in the game. Who are your trusted eyes and ears to show you when you’ve tripped?

How much and how fast you recover is 100% in your control.

Focus on one area where you’re stretching and ask yourself these questions:

  1. How prepared am I to recover the next time I strike out?
  2. How am I building my resilience muscles now for the next time I swing for the fences and miss?

Step up to the plate. You’ve got this.

The Mind to Win program teaches successful leaders how to beef up their resilience muscles so they’re prepared to win the championship. The early enrollment discount ends tomorrow night — sign up now. Mind to Win kicks off May 17 with quick-start pre-work available now.

Filed Under: Confidence, High Performance, Impact Player, Resilience Tagged With: confidence, resilience, success

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Free the Genius

Free the Genius by David MartinMy new book released and is an Amazon #1 international bestseller! It’s called Free the Genius: How the Very Best Grow Their Meaning, Mission, and Contribution. Read more here.

Connect with Me

  • Email
  • LinkedIn

Sign Up for E-News/Blog

Our Clients Say

 I still hear about my work with David Martin, some five years ago. People at my company will say things like, ‘She made huge strides when she worked with David’ or ‘You should have seen how much positive change she accomplished during that time.’ All good things! 

Beth Himes
Vice President, Local & Regional Business Service Operations, Aetna

 David has become one of my most trusted business advisors. I initially looked to him for guidance in stepping-up my individual performance and leadership but our relationship quickly evolved to where I seek David’s problem-solving skills for the key strategic issues and challenges facing my business. David’s clear thinking helps me sort through the ambiguities that seem to be ever present in today’s tough business climate. 

Erik G. Birkerts
CEO, Clean Energy Trust

 I am amazed at what I’ve accomplished with David’s help. He has given me the skills and tools to keep me moving forward. More than once, I’ve marveled at his insight and ability to clearly express very complex concepts. I thought coaching was going to be hard, but it was the best thing that happened to me. 

Farhad Aghdami
Partner, Williams Mullen

 David Martin is brilliant. His style feels so intuitive, like being coached by a hybrid of Phil Jackson and your closest friend. His ability to hone in quickly on what may be blocking success is swift — but what separates him are his creative and easy-to-implement tools. Plus it’s fun to be his client. 

Gracia Walker
Director, Business Development, Yum Yum NYC, LLC

 David sets very high standards of performance for himself and his clients. He has a very engaging style, listens acutely and devises action steps that are built around current business needs. It’s the results that matter. During the time David spent with me and my team, my region earned the honor of ‘Most Improved’ in our first year, a top third ranking in our second year, and a National Performance Award as the fifth region in the nation in our final year! 

Jeff Holland
Regional Vice President, GlaxoSmithKline

 David has provided me with sound, mature and measured advice and perspective. He’s extremely skilled at strategic thinking and identifying effective tactical action plans. I highly recommend David Martin. 

John A. Schauss
CFO, Media General, Inc.

 David played a critical role in developing a strategy for initiating a series of new partnerships, and then helped us launch them by devising tactical plans. He identifies gaps and then works with you to close them, so you can focus on areas that are key to driving success. 

Kurt Thearling
Head of Decision Sciences, Vertex Business Services

 My time with David was head and shoulders above any coaching experience that I’ve ever had. He developed a deep understanding of my style and situation and provided concrete practices for me to work on that improved my game substantially. 

Rob Finnegan
Managing Partner, 2nd Order Solutions
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 · DavidMartinCo.com