Victory Lessons from the End Zone

Although I’ve never been a huge football fan, it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement when the underdog New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in a surprise upset that took them to a place many fans never expected to see them: the Super Bowl.

Because KBDN’s parent company also has offices in Wisconsin, the week before the game was filled with a friendly inter-office rivalry, along with much debate about what makes a winner. Is it talent? Momentum? Desire? The ability to perform under pressure?

What about external elements, like frigid temperatures, or home field advantage?

And then there’s the issue of expectations…is it better to have the confidence of being the favorite, or is there a certain power in being the underdog?

This year in the NFC, the Giants proved that focus, determination and an unwillingness to buy into the word “impossible” are powerful tools indeed.

They also taught a valuable lesson that everyone in the kitchen and bath industry should heed. Winning, they proved, isn’t just about everything going your way. Rather, it’s about overcoming obstacles and staying tough even when it’s clear that the competition has an edge. It’s about getting in the zone. It’s about creating your own heat when the “climate” is cold.
And sometimes, it’s about getting back up when you’ve fallen down.

Lawrence Tynes missed two critical field goals during the game. But he didn’t give up, and when it came down to sudden death, he kicked the one that counted most. That was the difference between winning and losing, proving, as many long-time kitchen and bath professionals have learned, that persistence is essential to being successful.

Across the field in the AFC, the New England Patriots have their own lessons to teach. Undefeated as I write this, the team knows that winning is about taking things one game at a time…game after game after game. It’s about executing the details. It’s about not taking things for granted. And it’s about knowing you’re in it for the long haul.

We see this in kitchen and bath firms that continue to grow and flourish over decades or generations – in good economic climates and more challenging ones – through their hard work, passion for excellence and commitment to continued learning.

We see this in the manufacturers who make it their mission to produce a plethora of new products each year that meet not only our clients’ aesthetic and functional needs, but also take into consideration the ever-changing face of design (see Annual Directory & Buyers’ Guide).

We see this in designers who continue to create new ways of designing spaces, such as transforming the kitchen sink into a multi-functional water station to meet the evolving needs of consumers (see The New Kitchen Workstation)

And we see this as the National Kitchen & Bath Association announces its nominees for the NKBA’s Industry Hall of Fame, people who have spent a lifetime serving the kitchen and bath industry – including, I’m very proud to say, KBDN’s own publisher Eliot Sefrin (see Industry Update).

Doing meaningful work, it’s clear, requires a commitment to sticking around for the long haul. It means picking yourself up when you falter, and focusing on the prize. It means raising your game when the going gets tough.

And this is true whether your “game” is kitchen and bath design or football.

As I write this, the Giants are still celebrating their win over the Packers. However, even as the champagne flows, they know that being a winner is an ongoing battle. To go all the way, they will still have to face the unbeaten New England Patriots – a tough challenge indeed.

It may be an impossible task. But they aren’t giving up just yet. Winners never do.

And that is a lesson we all can take to heart.