Well, the hockey season here in Columbus has come to an end. The young, feisty Blue Jackets fell to the favored Pittsburgh Penguins in their first round Stanley Cup Playoffs first round match-up. They lost the best-of-seven series 4 games to 2 but every game was close and well-played. The Columbus fans were loud and proud and were hoping for more hockey this season, just as the players and organization’s leadership were as well.
As much of a dream it would have been to be the last team standing, only one team gets to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of each season and it takes 16 wins to do it. This year’s champion will be a better, more experienced team than the Blue Jackets who only got two wins in the playoffs. But they are making progress and expectations are that progress will continue at a much faster pace. This year’ s two playoff victories were the first in their 11 year history after being swept by the Detroit Red Wings in 2009 in their only other playoff appearance.
Even in a loss, there are many positives to take from the season. Once the sting of the sudden end to the season wears off this team will have many lessons to learn. I think we all will.
11 Lessons Realtors can learn from the 2014 Columbus Blue Jackets
- Respect your opponents – Analyze your strengths and weaknesses and be prepared for how they may match up against those opponents you may face. You’re not always going to be the favorite so you’re going to have to overcome some obstacles along the way. Knowing that the opponent that you face is extremely talented and in the position they are because of the hard work and execution they have put in all year will help you stay focused on the little things it takes to win.
- The regular season counts – In hockey, the top 8 teams in each conference make the playoffs. The better your record in the regular season, the better seed you earn. The best team earns home ice advantage – a huge edge for most teams. In real estate, we don’t really have a “regular season” or “playoff” time but usually the 4th quarter of the year is when everyone is pushing hard to finish strong and achieve their goals. Getting off to a fast start each year is one way to insure you’re on a good path to end the year on a winning note.
- It’s not about tomorrow…it’s about today – Life changes quickly so you have to be “in the moment.” As a partial season ticket holder, I only had tickets for Game 3 and Game 6 but in a “best-of-seven” series, only the first four games are guaranteed. After attending the Game 3 loss, we knew that unless the Blue Jackets could win the next game, we might not be seeing the team play again live until next season. In real estate, we often count on our friends and neighbors using us for their real estate needs but we can’t count on those opportunities until we have a signature on an agreement. The business development activities we do today and appointments we are scheduling now are critical to tomorrow’s success.
- Don’t get too defensive – In the Game 5 loss at Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets gave up 50 shots on goal. They only took 24 in the 3-1 loss. It’s really hard to win when you spend all of your time in your own trying to stop an aggressive, talented team. When you’re on your heels, sitting back and waiting for the action to come to you, you are missing the chance to determine your own direction.
- Early failures shouldn’t stop you – The first 5 games of the series against Pittsburgh was strange in that the team that scored first, lost the game. You would think the energy and momentum would propel the team taking an early lead to victory but in every game, the team that faced adversity ended up battling back. Only in Game 6 did the first goal lead to victory…but it wasn’t without a challenge as the Blue Jackets scored 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd period to pull within one before falling 4-3 to end the series. When someone says “no” to you on your first inquiry, don’t let it stop you. Pretend they said “not yet” and stay in touch. When a Seller chooses another listing agent, don’t get discouraged. When that listing doesn’t sell or the service wasn’t what the client was expecting, you might get that next call.
- Shoot the puck! – Taking chances is what success is all about. In hockey, if you don’t score on a shot it’s okay because the puck might bounce off the goalie or another defenseman and provide another opportunity to score. See point 4 above about what happens when you give up more shots than you take. It usually doesn’t favor the team on the low-end of the shot count. How many calls are you making each day? How many doors will you know on? How many emails will you send?
- Rely on your teammates – There are several “lines” of players on a hockey team. There are offensive lines (wings and centers) and there are defensive lines. Due to the intensity and speed with which they skate, they constantly change. Some shifts could be as little at 30 seconds while others might last up to two minutes. Knowing where your teammates are helps you do your job better. You can make better passes or receive better passes. You can be more aggressive on certain plays when you know you have support. Any hockey fan knows that the Blue Jackets relied heavily on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, would played an outstanding series but just couldn’t stop enough of the shots he faced. How are you leveraging your teammates? Your manager, your office staff, your affiliates like lenders and title reps and your home inspectors you use should all be helping push you forward. Lean on them for support while feeling their encouragement and energy to keep moving forward.
- Mental errors will come back to haunt you – In hockey, many games end with the winner scoring just one more goals than the loser. One quick lapse in concentration can be the difference between winning and losing. A silly penalty here, a missed pass there and before you know it, you’re leaving the ice with a loss. Are you following all of your deadlines in the contracts? Did you read every addendum and fine print so you can protect your client’s best interests? Are you returning calls or emails in a timely manner?
- Feed off your fans – These are the people who want your success almost as much as you want it yourself. Allow their cheering and
support to fuel you. Use their energy when you are tired. Hear their cheers when you are struggling or make a mistake. The Blue Jackets fans were outstanding from the middle of the season as the team made their push to earn a spot in the playoffs and they truly became an unofficial part of the team. #WeAreThe5thLine became the rally cry of the fan base and they lived and breathed that from the first puck drop in Game 1 until the final horn sounded in Game 6. In fact, the crowd’s reaction and thunderous chant of “CBJ! CBJ! CBJ!” after the team lost the series was almost as awesome as the eruption of cheers that happened in the Game 4 overtime win. When you realize that your fans support win or lose, it makes you play that much harder. - You gotta believe! Not many of the “experts” predicted the Blue Jackets could beat the Penguins. In reality, not many of the fans truly expected the team to advance to the next round. To win the Stanley Cup you need to win 16 games – 4 rounds of “best-of-seven” match-ups. I truly believe that every player and coach in that Blue Jackets locker room felt they could win 16 games. They could only play one at a time and as good as the crowd support was, none of the cheering or banners or catchy hashtags were going to score a goal but they believed that if they played their best and some breaks went their way, they could be the last team standing. How much belief do you have in yourself? When you talk about your value proposition, are you saying it with 100% confidence? If you had to hire a Realtor today, would you choose yourself?
- Build for the future – The season is now over here in Columbus. Most of the true hockey fans will continue watching the Stanley Cup playoffs and dreaming of the season where the Blue Jackets will be the team still playing. But the future is bright in Columbus for hockey. Many young players will be back next year. Several veterans will hopefully return from injury-shortened seasons and add leadership. The coaches will all be better and more experienced and the front office team will seek to add the missing pieces through the draft and free agency. I know this taste of playoff hockey only helped to fuel the fans hunger for a winner on the ice. The excitement of the last few months here in Central Ohio added a few more fans and followers. Even people who never watched a hockey game in their life turned on the television to watch. Today at Starbucks, people were asking about the game and talking about hockey.
I have a friend who always says that regardless of the market, people will buy and people will sell. That’s just like in hockey; teams will lose and teams will win. You just have to be excited and ready to go when it’s time to drop the puck. Get out there and skate hard the rest of the season.
Build relationships, solve problem and have fun. Then be ready for your next shift. The Zamboni will be done before you know it.