Went to the Carolina Hurricanes game tonight. Game 6 at home and a chance to win the series against the Boston Bruins. We have gone to all the home playoff games, it has been great fun. Of course, winning will do that to you.

Tonight was not fun…..They were down 2-0 after 5 minutes. My buddy remarked to me, “As you know, if you get ready after you get there……” He didn’t have to complete the sentence. He didn’t have to. The Canes got off to a bad start. They lost 4-2, not being able to make up for the two goals they spotted Boston in the first five minutes.

How many times have you been slow to get started on a project? Or got the day off to a bad start? It happens but as professionals we must be vigilant to not let it happen. Self-awareness is one of the differentiators of successful leaders. They are able to get themselves “up” for the day or the event.

One can argue that the Canes were ready for the game. As professionals I am sure they were ready. But the words of Marine Corps General Victor Krulak serve us well here, “Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there.”

So, we must combine self-awareness with the will to win. The will to execute your plan and make the plays. Being ready is one thing and I am not knocking being prepared. But preparation only goes so far. There are no checkmarks in the win column for being prepared, only for winning.

Stay Inspired….

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 at 2:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.