Touching Them All

I know I am bit late in posting a blog on this story but there may be some who are not yet familiar with it. I think it is worth repeating for all our benefit. It's an uplifting moment from which we all can learn a lesson.

Sarah Tucholsky had never hit a home run in college softball. As a member of the the Div II Western Oregon State team, fate would have it that in a scoreless game she would hit her first home run with two runners on giving her team a 3-0 lead in a crucial playoff game. The only problem with this storybook scenario is that when rounding first and heading to second she realized in her excitement she had missed touching first and turned to go back and touch first base. That's when her knee gave out and she tore her ACL. She crawled back to first, hugged the base, and everyone watched in disbelief at the unfolding drama.

The umpire stated that the rules would allow a pinch runner but that Sarah's home run would be recorded as a 2 run single instead of a 3 run home run. Any assistance from her teammates would result in her being called out. That's when a player from the opposing team asked, "Can we carry her?". This wasn't any player. This was Mallory Holtman, who owns almost every major offensive record they have for Western Washington State. She thought it was the right thing to do....to help someone who had earned the right to have her first home run count. So she and a team mate picked up Sarah and carried her around the bases "touching them all" with her left foot and allowing Sarah to enjoy the thrill she deserved. So why post a sports story on a business blog? I think there are a tremendous amount of lessons to be learned here that can be applied to so many aspects of sales, marketing, and business. Who do we have on our business team? How do we use the rules and regulations in our industry to our advantage? But the overwhelming thought I had here was about competition. We all face tough competition in business and it is important to win in the business game. But the reality is, we as marketers and sales people, need to "do the right thing" not only for our customers & clients but for ourselves. The ultimate victory is in knowing you won by "touching them all"...whether by yourself or with the help of others.

By the way, the assistance given to Sarah by Mallory ended up having a major impact to the game. Western Washington did rally for 2 runs on the bottom of the 2nd....runs that would have tied the game had it not been for their gesture. The final score was 4-2. But the final score was not why this game will be remembered for years to come.