Sports Are Important for Us, Charlie Brown – Part 2

In the last post, I wrote about the way sports can teach us persistence as a means of dealing with setbacks. Charlie Brown exemplifies this – in spite of perennial loss and heartbreak, he keeps playing. Linus repeatedly assures Charlie Brown that there is always another opportunity, but also wisely counsels him that their team should be better prepared for the next game.

Preparation is another big lesson that I believe we can take away from sports. Win or lose, there are lessons in each game. Ironically, and perhaps poetically, there is more to learn from losing because it teaches us that preparation can lead to improvement. The football team that is beaten by a comparably talented opponent can look back at the game video to see what went wrong. Was it a flawed defensive game plan? Did the offense fail to execute? Did they turn the ball over too many times? A myriad of factors contributes to a team’s performance. When a team loses, future success begins the moment the coaches and players conduct an honest performance evaluation to better prepare themselves for the next match.

Persistence defined.

While working as a lobbyist, I once learned the value of preparation the hard way. It was the beginning of a Congressional session, the time in which hearings are held and legislation has its best chance of becoming law. I was meeting with a congressman about a bill of paramount importance to our company. The congressman had a reputation for being difficult (to put it kindly) and he had about as much personality as a rock. But, man, was I in the zone that day. I had studied the legislation and knew it like the back of my hand, my “sales” pitch was perfect, and I even had the guy nodding his head in agreement about how his constituents would benefit from the legislation.

I was in a triumphant mood and we were just about to wrap up when the congressman said, “I have a big union presence in my district - how will they react if I support you?” My heart stopped and I felt the blood drain from my face. The unions hated the bill. I knew this, and I also knew that the congressman liked to portray himself as a pro-labor Republican. It was a costly oversight in my pre-meeting prep. I ran the length of the football field but fumbled the ball on the one-yard line.

A member of Congress is responsible for seeing things from all perspectives.

So, much like my high school football coach used to do, I went back to the office, consulted with my manager, and “watched the video.” It was pretty easy to figure out where my game plan failed. I neglected to put myself completely in the congressman’s shoes. Sure, from our company’s perspective, the legislation would have spurred jobs and investment and the congressman just about conceded that point. But a member of Congress is responsible for seeing things from all perspectives. A significant - and politically powerful - interest group in his district saw the legislation differently, and I should have known that they would be making their case just as well as I was making mine. As politics is often about competing interests, I could have easily explained why the congressman should support us in spite of the union opposition – if I had properly prepared for the meeting.

My manager – the Linus to my Charlie Brown – told me that this was a great learning experience, because now I could make it my goal to know more about a member of Congress and his district than his own staff knew. Persuasive speaking skills weren’t enough, in this case. Proper preparedness, he said, was essential. It was great advice and, thankfully, the job provided me with another game to play.

Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach once said, “Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Even this Eagles fan can see the wisdom in his words – and Linus’ before him - as they apply to both sports and life.