The Landmark Blog

Corporate Strategy - What Do You Do When You Lose...BIG?

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I have a passion for soccer that I inherited from my dad.  I tell my sons that soccer runs in their blood, that it’s part of their heritage.  My sons play soccer, I play(ed) soccer, my brothers played, my dad and his brothers played, and my grandfather played soccer.  My grandfather actually played for his local professional team, the Garth Rangers (Wales, UK). 

My dad is a Welshman who moved to the U.S. when he was about seventeen years old.  Growing up, I was very interested in U.S. sports, especially baseball and football.  My dad didn't understand.  Football...wasn't really football, didn't use feet much, was covered in pads, seemed over-complicated, unorganized, and just wasn't rugby.  Baseball...was...just...boring (to him).  Nevertheless, I loved to play and watch both. 

In fifth grade, I was a pretty small kid.  On my football team, I was a linebacker.  One day, a much larger (probably slower) kid knocked me out of the circle used to test who started the game (the test was to hit each other until someone fell down or was knocked out of the circle).  I lost my starting spot and couldn't regain it for most of the season.  At that point, football became particularly boring for my dad and as a player, I was frustrated.  One day, my dad came to me and told me a story of magic, of glamour, of heritage and family, a story of the beautiful game, the world’s game, of George Best and European football...real football.  I was hooked.  At ten years old, I knew that as a half Welshman I could be the greatest American soccer player EVER (oh…if it were that simple…boy did I suck to begin with).

I began playing soccer in fifth grade and haven't stopped playing since.  If you know me you understand that soccer has become a part of who I am.  I'm passionate about it...bordering on nerdy.  In my "spare time," I coach competitive youth soccer.  I've been coaching youth soccer for about fifteen years.  I coach two teams and they are good (in the top-10 at each age group for the state of Utah, U.S.)  Last night, one of the teams had an experience that I hope to never repeat.  We lost...BIG...REALLY BIG.  When you hit the top levels of competitive soccer, most games are 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 3-1, etc.  A BIG loss would be something like 4-0 or 5-1.  We lost 10-0.  It was UGLY...REALLY UGLY...EMBARRASINGLY UGLY.  The biggest joke around soccer communities is how bad the referees suck.  This referee was terrible (they all are), he didn't call a thing (there were four different fights that I was aware of during the game...one that even turned into a shoving/kicking/swinging match...the referee had no control...and didn't call fouls on any of it).  The referee, in spite of his poor performance, was not the reason for the 10-0 loss.  We just took a drubbing to a team that we played 3-2 the last time we competed against each other.  It was frustrating...and sad. 

If you've ever coached through a situation like this, you go through some moments that are similar to the stages of grief…though significantly sped up (yeah…I told you I was a little nerdy…maybe the word is CRAZY is more in line).

1 – Denial and Isolation: “Really, are we going to get beat like this”…I walk up and down the sideline muttering…eventually I sit down and shut up completely.

2 – Anger: Bark at the players from the sideline, through half time, on the field, off the field, eventually no barking at all (which is even worse).

3 – Bargaining: “Please boys, just get your heads up, shake it off, and go out and play the way you know how.  Show some heart…if you work hard, good things will happen."  As I’m thinking (at 7-0)…"Just don't let it go in to double digits...I'll be a good person for the rest of my life if it just doesn't go into double digits."  I guess I'm off the hook.

4 – Depression: I was so shaken by the loss last night that all I could do was stutter…I was ready to stop coaching…didn’t sleep well…couldn't think of anything else.

5 – Acceptance: Today I realize that there’s nothing I can do to change last night.  I’m not going to quit on those boys.  I feel a little idiotic (ok - a lot idiotic...it is JUST A GAME...right?  Have you heard the saying "Soccer is Life"?).  We really are a good team.

So here’s the inevitable point.  As companies, or as employees, managers and professionals, we all take our losses from time to time.  Sometimes we even get our butts kicked.  Occasionally, we get our butts kicked badly.  Social media has done some wonderful things for “getting the word out”.  When you’re doing well, it quickly becomes apparent.  Social media has also expedited the speed at which everyone else finds out that you just got your butt kicked (the 10-0 drubbing hit Facebook before I even returned home for the night).  Most losses aren’t always public knowledge.  Maybe you lost a big proposal, a big job you’ve always had on hand, a key staff member, a client, or had some negative press, and maybe it’s impactful…very impactful.  We’ve all been there.  In business, when you lose…BIG…what do you do?  Here are some suggestions, along with some great quotes by the late great UCLA head coach John Wooden:

• “If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” Flawless execution is one key way of succeeding consistently and minimizing the losses.  If you’ve just experienced a loss, meet with your staff…reset…then teach your staff (or yourself if appropriate) to execute cleanly from the start.  The first goal scored in my soccer game was within two minutes of the starting whistle.  It started a very bad precedence and was the start of a very long night.  Start with clean execution in mind.
• “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”  Do you know why you lost…or are losing?  If not, figure out the cause of the loss, do some market research, especially if your losses are consistent.  A good market research organization will help you figure out how to fix it.  If you aren’t prone in that direction, figure out how to fix it yourself.  Some things are difficult to change.  Make the changes that make sense to change.  Then ask yourself, is that enough?  If it’s not, do something about it.  Be a player rather than a spectator.
• “Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”  Evaluate your losses.  Did you just experience one loss, or have you experienced many losses in a row?  These are two different issues.  Is there a trend?  What are you capable of?  Are you competing at that level of your ability?  If not, why?  Evaluate whether you need to make tweaks in your product or service offerings that align more cleanly with your ability.  Do some product research.  Or, make tweaks in your ability to align more cleanly with your product or service offerings.
• “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”  After our loss, a close friend gave me this sage advice.  “The best time to teach is right after a loss.” At the time of the loss, I was so worked up I couldn’t see this simple principle.  It’s worth remembering that a good coach (or manager or mentor) is one who can identify areas of improvement, help you see what needs to improve, and show you the path to improvement or how to accomplish it.  Improvement means more wins.
• “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” It’s important to remember that once things are done, when the final whistle blows, there’s nothing else you can do about the situation.  If you’ve worked your hardest, made the appropriate corrections, followed these steps for the next opportunity, improved yourself as a result of the loss, the final step is to let the loss go.  Walk away, don’t repeat the mistake(s), and move on.  This just might be the toughest step.

Any suggestions on what to do when you lose...BIG?  How do you turn losses into wins down the road?