3 Lessons we can learn from Comebacks:
1. The "dugout" culture makes the comeback possible.
Softball dugouts are historically loud. They cheer. It can even seem that they aren't paying attending, but they do. They track pitches, study the opponent, observe the nuance, and fuel the energy. In business, your behind-the-scenes teams is your dugout. More often than not, culture isn't maintained from the top. When everyone actively drives momentum beginning with the front line, to the coaches, to the high performers, every one benefits. Including the company.
2. A Comeback is a Comeback.
An eight-run explosion sets records and gets headlines, but the gritty, one-run comeback in extra innings keeps your team alive the same way. Beneath the headlines, both comebacks are identical. It’s a shift in momentum. A moment the trailing team finally, against all odds, gets a minor win. A walk, a bloop single, a bad challenge call, a confirmed challenge call (both happened this weekend btw) and the pressure instantly flips from one team to the other.
In business, we idolize the massive corporate turnaround, but saving a single at-risk client or fixing a minor budget leak uses the exact same skills. Do not diminish the small recoveries. The moment your team gets recognized for a win, it shifts the pressure right back onto the competition.
3. The Scoreboard isn't the final indicator of performance.
When you are losing big, staring at the scoreboard breeds panic, leading to desperate mistakes. Resilient leaders are able to shrink the game. They ignore lagging indicators like revenue deficits and focus entirely on the next pitch, winning the next hour, the next call, the next small task that can lead to big results. They in essence, focus on the small things and trust that they can "Pass the Bat!!!"
