I think it’s really cool that Michael Phelps came back to the Olympics this year.
After winning eight medals in 2008, it would have been pretty easy to rest on his laurels and marry the mother of some famous reality stars or something.
But he chose to come back. And to becoming the winninginginestest Olympic athlete of all time. No matter how you feel about Micheal or Ryan or even Rowdy, that’s cool.
What is your strategy after a big victory?
Do you sit back and rest on your winnings? Let’s say you use sold more widgets in the last quarter than ever before. You topped the gazillion mark on your Facebook friends, and everyone in town is painting their front doors to match your service trucks. Sounds like the ultimate victory.
But why not be like Mike? Why not come back for more?
- Provide stronger customer service than ever before.
- Make personal phone calls to clients.
- Give gifts that delight your customers.
- Reward your employees for innovative ideas that have led to topping the charts.
- Share your skills with a peer in another market.
- Start an internship program so you have quality employees into the next millennium.
- How about starting that employee volunteer program you have always dreamed about.
Three more medals. It’s not that many.
But it’s gonna take everything you’ve got.
Good stuff! One of the things driving Phelps, though, was his desire to change the sport and not just to add to his medal count. That’s a big part of his post-victory strategy. In business, I would liken that to Samuel Adams: their goal wasn’t to become a niche player in the beer industry or even to sell a lot of beer — their goal was to change the way Americans thought about beer. They wanted to change the game. Sort of like how Steve Jobs wanted to “make a dent in the universe.”
I guess what I’m saying is how you act after a victory has a lot to do with how you define victory in the first place. If your goals are larger than just you, you’ve got a better chance of being like Mike. What are your goals?
You are so right, Jeff. Goals and strategy are keys to success!