The Fundamentals Matter in Sports and Business
We hear it all the time: the little things are what will set you apart from the competition. As athletes, we work day and night trying to improve the little things in mechanics. What we don’t know is that this prepares us to lead.
You Are Not in Control
“Whatever happened to you might not have been in your control — but your response is 100% in your control.” — Claire
We have all been in situations where we believe we were “robbed,” got the short end of the stick, and were treated unfairly. Maybe you were right; maybe it was fair, and you were just having a bad day.
What we can control is how we respond. Think about it: when you are in business, you are going to get a deal that does not go your way. There will be a time when you have the better product or service, yet you still lose the client or the deal. It will happen; trust me, I have been there.
Whether it is fair or not, the way you react is up to you. You can give up, complain, or you can keep pushing forward with a smile on your face.
Sports teach us a valuable lesson: we do not control the outcome; we only control how we react.
Leave The Moment Behind
“It’s only a failure if you live in that moment and dwell on it.” — Steve
We have all been in a game and been blown out. We have all been in a sales call that we had no chance of closing. We have all been told no. We have all failed in life.
As we look at sports and success, we see that sports teach us that failure is not final. Sports teach us that we can move forward. Think about it: baseball players fail more than anyone in life, but they might be the most confident group of individuals in the world. They strike out, pick up their glove, and make a play in the field because that is how the game works. The ball will find you.
Business is no different. If we leave a sales call and can’t get past the rejection, we won’t close the next deal. Sports teach us that we can’t live in the same moment; we must move forward.
We only truly fail when we can’t leave that moment.
The Fundamentals Matter
“You don’t need the grand slam every at-bat. Sometimes what wins the game is the perfect bunt.” — Claire
Here is what I know in all my time in marketing, business, and leadership: the fundamentals matter.
Think of it this way. We have this new AI tool, and marketing is starting to jump on it, use it, and possibly overuse it (time will tell). Here is what I know: if you do not have a strong message, a clear differentiator, or a decent product, AI will not save you. Yes, you can create unlimited content, graphics, flyers, or whatever your heart desires. Trust me, I have been part of the youth sports Facebook groups.
The point is that you cannot make a huge jump without the fundamentals. If you use AI without brand fundamentals, solid financials, or a decent product (something that solves a problem), the tool will not help you.
As athletes, we know how important it is to work on the fundamentals; the same is true in your business. There is no shortcut to success. You need to do the work; you need to establish your fundamentals before you can scale.
The Little Things Compound
“You can build a wonderful life by being very good at the small things — because they compound.” — Claire Fausey
As athletes, we have all heard the saying “stack your days.” When we are in the grind, it is hard to see how stacking the days matters for our desired outcome. We are making small improvements every day, hitting the baseball a little harder and kicking the soccer ball slightly better.
We learn to accept the small incremental improvements because, as athletes, we are stacking days; this keeps us from getting frustrated and giving up.
Here is a real example. Growing a social media account, driving organic search traffic to your site, and building a development facility from $0 take time and effort. Every day, you get a new follower, 10 more hits to the website, or a $5 donation. This is improvement, just like stacking your days; every post, blog, or email gets you closer, just like every training session gets you closer to your athletic goals.
The little things will drive your success. Maybe not tomorrow or next month, but eventually you will make it.
Don’t Underestimate Your Relationship
“The relationships you build through sports are what you really end up taking away from it.” — Claire Fausey
They say your net worth is in your contact list. As I have gone into business, this has become increasingly accurate. Your network matters.
Over the last 6 months, we have been raising money to build a development center for local youth teams and a school to use. Without a solid network, none of this would be possible. Nothing would be possible without the people in my contact list.
Here is my experience: it is not always the person you know directly. It is the person you know who knows someone. That is how this really works.
So, your relationships matter. They matter a lot to your success. We learn in sports because our teammates are often the most important thing.
Play to Your Strengths
“Your job as a leader is to put the right people in the right spots — then let them play.” — Claire
As a leader or coach, you need to prepare your players, show them the way, support them, and let them do their thing.
I am going to be honest: there is nothing that bothers me more than a coach who screams at their players on every play, every pass, or every pitch. It is similar to the manager who needs to tell everyone what to do all day, you know, the guy or gal.
Here is a piece of advice for you, new leaders: get your team ready, ensure they have what they need to succeed, and let them do their jobs. The results might be better than you think.
Sidenote: We need to invent a new term, the microcoach, which is like a micromanager, just a youth sports coach.
True Development Leads to Bigger Wins
“We sometimes forget the development piece. Or worse — we start looking at winning as the development.” — Steve
When I started the job that led to a lot of the work I do today with Academy 48, Beyond The Game, and our leadership curriculum, my boss gave me 6 months to “figure it out.” We had weekly mentoring sessions, industry meetings, and constant conversations.
He didn’t expect massive production right out of the gate. He gave me the time and support to develop and build my team the right way. He was not looking for a big win; in fact, there were many losses before any win.
Here is the point: we forget to let our employees develop; we forget to let our players learn; we look for wins and mistake that for development. It might look good on the surface, but real development happens in the losses, the failures, and the hard times on the way to the big win.
Stop looking at the final score, especially as they are young. Just like our employees, our players need a chance to grow and develop. That is what a true leader does.
How do We Fix Youth Sports?
“99.9% of kids aren’t going pro. Focusing on sportsmanship and integrity — that’s the important stuff, not the scoreboard.” – Claire
“Asking a family to pay thousands of dollars for their eight-year-old to play isn’t just unaffordable — it takes the lessons away too.” – Claire
If we want to build better youth sports programs, we need to lower participation costs and increase access to the games that teach kids so much. If we can’t find ways to lower the cost of youth sports participation, they lose the most influential classroom: the field.
The Fundamentals Matter in Sports and Business
To be successful on the field, the fundamentals matter. To be successful later in life, the fundamentals matter. As we continue using sports to educate our student-athletes, we need to keep this in mind: the little things matter.
So, if you want to be more successful, focus on the fundamentals, strip away complexity, build solid routines, remove distractions, and practice daily. These will help you focus on the fundamentals, because we all know they matter.
