The Madness of March

I chose the title carefully because I know the NCAA owns the right to the other name! Got to love Copyright lawyers. I have been amazed over the past few years how the whole tournament thing has taken off and has infiltrated mainstream America. In offices all around the country right now some guy is ticked off because a co-worker that knows nothing about basketball is ahead of him in the standings. I think that what's great about the tournament. All the preparation, studying, stat crunching, and insight still leaves us shocked at a team like Siena knocking off a powerhouse school like Vanderbilt.

I think the tournament is really a microcosm of American business. We all like to root for the small (underdog) business that works hard, gets a chance to prove themselves, and then gets the win. I think it keeps the American dream alive for many of us. I know it does for me. When you look at some of the successful companies across the U.S. you'll find examples of people that fought long odds and tough challenges to rise to the top. Passion, playing by the rules, working hard often are keys to why they are where they are. Often there is a bit of magic that takes place just at the right moment to push you over the top as well. But one element that also exists in these opportunties is the idea that the goal of success is greater than any individual. This was quite clear when you watched the last 5.7 seconds of the Western KY -Drake game. The leading scorer (Brazelton) who had been the star of the game for W. KY took the ball up the court, drew multiple defenders to him as they assumed he would selfishly take the final shot of the game. Unfortunatley for Drake, it was all about the win for him as he dished the ball off to Ty Rogers who drained the 3 pointer at the buzzer for the overtime win. The Madness of March continues!

Who are the players on your team that you can rely on? Do you have them on your team? Our future's need to be in the hands of leadership that understands that vision and implements the strategies to do so. If not, we need to be those leaders.