Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Working Overtime
The 40th Memorial Tournament went into a sudden death playoff. Englishman Justin Rose and Swede David Lingmerth ended the regulation 72 hole tournament tied at -15 under so they needed to work overtime to determine a winner. The headed back out to the 18th hole for a sudden death playoff where the person who scored the lowest on the hole would be the champion. After the players tied with pars on the first two playoff holes, Lingmerth earned a victory with a par on the 3rd playoff hole.
Both players remained focused throughout the entire playoff until Rose hit his tee shot slightly off target on the 3rd playoff hole. That was just the break Lingmerth needed to secure his 1st PGA Tour victory.
The golfers work didn’t end after the 72nd hole because a winner still needed to be determined. Their caddies worked overtime too, as did the tournament officials, marshalls and volunteers and the media teams from around the world that were covering the event. heck, even the thousands of fans who were at the course had to cheer the great action longer than expected.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers needed overtime to determine the winner. NHL hockey teams often need an extra period to determine a winner while baseball games sometimes need more than the 9-innings they usually play. Extra innings and overtimes in sports are filled with tension and excitement but the players, coaches and officials must continue to stay focused on the task at hand.
Overtime doesn’t just happen in sporting events. Another example could be students seeking extra credit or looking to improve their chances on an upcoming test will often stay after school for extra help or tutoring.
Are You Staying Focused After Clock Hits Zero?
How do you react when you have to work overtime? When that closing gets delayed or postponed, do you complain about the circumstances or are you taking a deep breath and thinking about what your next move will be? When your buyer wants to “look at a few more before making an offer” do you huff and puff or seek to determine which listings will satisfy their wants and needs? If an affiliate asks you to resend a document or form over after you’ve just left the office, do you have teammates you can count on or systems in place to save the day?
I am not talking about being available 24/7. Working “overtime” does not mean you should be working “all of the time.” It simply means that sometimes the game isn’t won or lost when the clock strikes zero, the 9th inning is played or the 72nd hole is finished.
You started the game or job with a goal of winning and as long as no one else has been determined the winner, that means you still have a chance.
Make one more phone call. Send one more email or hand-written note. Knock on one more door. Hold that house open for one more visitor. You never know which effort might be the game winner so stay focused on the activities and skills which got you this far in the first place.
You’ve stayed in the game this long. Keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun. Even after the whistle has sounded. Someone is going home a winner. Might as well be you.
Photo Credit: Riley Carpenter