Monday Morning Match is a simple 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.
This past weekend was Rivalry Week in college football. While some big rivalries are played early in the season or midway through the season for one reason or another, the last week of the regular season usually means some of the most traditional, long-lasting, and important games are played between regional or conference rivals.
There’s the Sunshine Showdown between Florida and Florida State, the Apple Cup pitting Washington and Washington State, the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe matching Wisconsin and Minnesota or The Bedlam Series matching Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. There’s Army-Navy, USC-UCLA, Harvard-Yale, and Clemson vs. South Carolina. Arizona and Arizona State have battled for 93 years in the Territorial Cup and The Iron Bowl has perennial top teams Auburn and Alabama squaring off. Arguably, the greatest rivalry in all of sport is when Ohio State lines up against Michigan.
It’s a weekend most loyal college fans look forward to and even the most casual of viewers can get caught up in the pride and passion on display between the two schools. So after the games have been played and the respective schools and fan bases move on to their next game or season, let’s take some notes on “what Realtors can learn from Rivalry Week”…
Preparation and practice impacts performance – While the rivalry games often end the regular season, all the work in the spring, summer, and throughout the season will determine how much success or struggles teams will have when they face their rival. How much work did you put in the first eleven months of the season to help you finish strong this year?
Bring a healthy dose of enthusiasm but keep your emotions in check – It’s great to bring high energy and a positive attitude into everything we do but keep it from boiling over into uncontrollable actions and emotions could hurt you and the “team” you’re working for. This weekend saw several players ejected for fighting, numerous personal fouls, and many “missed plays” caused by player’s emotions causing them to make silly mistakes or put forth a poor effort. Once the last play is over, it’s time to move on and focus on the next play.
Respect isn’t given, it is earned – College traditions and rivalries just don’t happen. They are born from years of history and competition between the players and coaches who played in the past. All the parties involved in every real estate transaction, from the clients to the affiliate partners, and certainly the Realtors involved, should do everything in their power to earn people’s respect. The proverbial “Golden Rule” is a great rule of thumb to remember to earn respect.
There are lots of people cheering for you – Stadiums are filled beyond capacity for many of the biggest, most traditional rivalries. The parking lots and campuses beyond the stadium walls are filled with more students and supporters, across the nation there are alumni cheering for “their school,” and general fans of the program are proudly cheering for “their team.” Every time you’re engaged in a transaction to help a buyer or seller, know that there are people “on your side” rooting for you to make it to a successful closing. Your manager, broker, coach, affiliate partners, co-workers, and family all want to see you “win” in the end. The next time you face an obstacle or challenge and find yourself on the ground, get back up and get in the game.
Don’t make it about you – The old cliche says “There is no ‘I’ in team.” While most Realtors are independent contractors, we are working with others to achieve the levels of success we desire. That being said, we are just one small part of each real estate transaction. The more we make the focus of our efforts about our client and the less spotlight we put on ourselves, the more long-term success we will have…and the more referrals and repeat business we will earn.
Perhaps you saw the unfortunate situation in this year’s Egg Bowl game in Starkville, Mississippi where an Ole Miss player scored with just seconds left, pulling the Rebels to within 1 point of in-state rival Mississippi State. In most likelihood, the Rebels would have lined up and gone for a game-winning two-point conversion, but after scoring the touchdown, the player wanted to put the spotlight on himself and also denigrate his opponents, so he made a lewd gesture that drew a penalty flag. The 15-yard assessment was just enough to cause the kicker to miss the extra point and the Bulldogs held on to win by one point.
Legend has it that a player once asked iconic Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight why the Hoosiers uniforms didn’t have their individual names on the back. Knight simply pointed at the “INDIANA” on the jersey and said, “because your name is on the front.” Remember that you represent something bigger than yourself.
How you finish can make or break your year – There is nothing like going out a winner. Seeing the fans storm the field in celebration is exhilarating and in some cases, a win in the last regular-season game of the season could impact what happens the rest of the year. A good bowl game invitation could be on the line or even a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Even in losing seasons, beating your rivalry to end your season can provide a huge boost to your energy, add great momentum into the next season ahead, and stop your rival from achieving their goals and dreams. Regardless of what happened in the first eleven months of the year, there is no reason that you can’t finish strong by stringing together a bunch of small victories by doing the activities needed to earn some new chances at listings or securing some buyer clients.
The season ends but the rivalry doesn’t – They were your rivals before the season and they will be your rivals long after the season. When the next season (or sport) rolls around, you’re going to be competing with them again for the next trophy or title. The results of this year won’t matter once the new season begins so fix any weaknesses, double down on your strengths and get ready to “carry on the tradition” for “your team.”
There are still conference championships, bowl games and the playoffs ahead so the season isn’t over but the rivalry games are…until basketball season gets into full swing.
As far as most of us are concerned, we probably don’t have to treat it so competitively. Sure, there might be 1.3 million other Realtors out there trying to “win” every day but are any of them really, truly your “rivals”? Regardless of the competition, there are plenty of consumers out there who will need to buy or sell in the new year. All we need to do is continue to build relationships, solve problems, and have fun, and there’s a good chance we will show up when they are ready.
If we keep showing up and playing our best game, over and over, there is no one that will be our rival.
Photo courtesy of Scott Gurvis
Photo courtesy of Geoff Scott
Photo courtesy of Scott Weaver
Photo courtesy of Jason Cromley