Sports Story of the Week
What we can learn from a roof and a goalpost
What do a roof and a goalpost have in common? Sounds like a joke my kids would ask me. However, over the weekend, the wild world of sports gave us these two perfect examples of how maddening it is to live in a world where we can see everything and rarely have the ability to fix it.
First, Friday night ESPN game: Virginia Tech vs Pitt. Both 4-0. With the game at 35-33 and seconds left on the clock, Virginia Tech attempted a field goal that appeared to be in. The kicker thought it was, the fans thought it was, the referees did not. And within seconds, the internet was abuzz with replays, freeze frames, alternate angles, slow motion, social-media analysis, and enough amateur geometry to make my head spin.
But those on the field, the ones involved, could do nothing about it. The call wasn’t reviewable. VT lost.
We have cameras and crazy technology that could show the ball’s journey frame by frame, but the rules in this case say, Thanks but No Thanks. We got this on the field.
Then Saturday baseball came. And once again, we had a chance event.
With San Diego trailing Milwaukee in the ninth inning, Ty France crushed a ball that looked to have been a game-changing home run. But instead, it struck part of the retractable-roof structure, which had been closed earlier that evening. The outfielder was able to drop back and make the catch for out number 2.
A ball that might have changed the game instead found part of the roof. The technology showed what happened. The replay showed what happened. Everyone watching knew what happened.
But according to the stadium’s established and clearly articulated rules, the structure was part of the field of play. They are different sports, with different rules, but you are left with the same uncomfortable feeling, "That wasn't fair."
Why is it that in a time where we can "see" more than ever, the system doesn't always do what we expect.
Of course, both teams had played an entire game before reaching those moments. Virginia Tech shouldn't have been in that position at the end. San Diego had eight-plus innings to create a larger margin. Neither outcome truly came down to that one moment. But that is also what made the moments so frustrating. We still could have snuck out a win. We felt that the glory of a comeback was stifled.
We see it in business too, we are at a time where we have more data, more information, faster processing, smarter technology, and more instant feedback. For many, we still operate in a system that is unable to capitalize on it.
The 3 Lessons from the goalpost and roof
1. Data without Empowerment to Act Creates Frustration
In the Virginia Tech game, everyone across the internet and ESPN had the data. They had the freeze-frames, the angles, and the slow-motion replays. But there was no opportunity to take action. In business, we love our data. We collect massive amounts of data on all aspects of our industry, our customers, trends, and more. If your employees aren't empowered to act, or are unduly burdened by red tape and procedures, your investment in technology and data is effectively useless. You have to provide data, information AND empower for action.
2. Fairness can feel different than Accuracy.
The live ball roof play was technically governed by the ground rules, it was communicated before hand. The field goal was a random aspect of what can't be challenged, one was accurate but both still felt unfair. In business, a decision can be technically right and still damage the trust of your employees or customers if it doesn't "feel" fair, if the process of evaluation is unclear, or if the rule feels arbitrary or outdated.
3. We shouldn't have been there is true. Don't let it be a trap.
Any coach, manager or leader will tell you the same thing after a loss like this, we shouldn't have let it come down to one play. Virginia Tech had four quarters worth of plays. San Diego had eight-plus innings, multiple other at pats. We shouldn't put ourselves in a position where one call, a roof, or a wrong bounce can decide the outcome.
They're right. However, if that's where the conversation ends you are missing most of the story, and a lot of the opportunities for growth.
We can always look back after a loss, and it can be used to avoid accountability or to evaluate and grow from our systems. Evaluating the process keeps you from scapegoating one individual. But, systems can also become a liability when it becomes a reason to never fix the specific system that is broken.
The leadership shift is allowing for both of these things to be true. The loss shouldn't have happened, and we shouldn't have been in that situation. I'm fixing both. Graciousness without repair is just a nicer way of doing nothing to impact sustainable change. In business, in life, and in sports.
