Never in the history of Cleveland has there been an NBA Champion Team.
Never in the history of the NBA has a team come back from a 3-1 deficit to claim the title.
In doing the improbable and going against history, the statistics and the odds Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have proved that if you believe in yourself, show up and give your best you can prevail.
Imagine the conversations in the locker room after their third lose. Doom and gloom?
I think not. I hear leaders rallying the troops to dig deep, to remain confident in the face of adversity, to understand that bringing the mountain down to size would happen one step at a time. Ultimately this team of men believed the message, believed in their skill, devoted themselves to the effort and strove as never before in their careers to accomplish the impossible.
There are so many lessons to be learned from the saga of Cleveland Cavaliers. The way they handled their recover and claimed the Championship has clear messages for today's business leaders. In the world of business challenges are both internal and external and how the responses to those challenges are handled makes all the difference.
Competition is ever present and can be daunting from time to time but analyzing why your competitor seems to have an advantage, making adjustments to your own strategies and being fervent in the execution of your plan can bring huge success.
When you are suffering internal challenges the job of leadership is to harness the positive energy, instill a rock solid belief in success and make sure everyone is game ready. If they need more practice or training to be counted on when the time comes to put them in play it is up to you to make sure that it is given to them and they receive it well. It is about making you team capable for the big games.
External challenges come in many shapes and sizes and are not of our making. The Cavaliers faced a formidable opponent that dominated the championship. The situation seemed dire for Cleveland. In the end, that proved to be their downfall of the Warriors.
Leadership was handed a single focus -- win the next game. It was simple, clear and understood by all. The same is so true with business challenges. Identifying the next important step is key in overcoming adversity. Without that clearly defined next step there can be no path to success. If all our your team hits the floor willy-nilly chaos will ensue and failure will surely follow. Challenges should result in firm plans. Every member of the team needs to know the next play. Even go a far as identifying who runs point.
In business being down is not that important because over time there will be ups and downs. Some will be worse than others. Being down is an opportunity. It is how you come out of the situation that matters.
In the words of internet billionaire Jack Ma, "Adapt your ideas, change your strategies if you must, but never give up."
The author is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section. For more articles please visit his website at Lorraine Gregory.com