The World Cup is officially underway, and fans are glued to the television. It's an interesting dilemma of sorts for many businesses around the world: what should business owners and managers do about their employees who want to watch the games, or even try to be sneaky about watching the games on their iPhones or other mobile devices?
The solution is simple: Let them watch the World Cup. I'll say it again: Let your employees watch the World Cup! In fact, put it on a big flat screen television for everyone to watch. Why? There are many lessons from the World Cup and these great athletes that can be copied to run a more successful business.
Here are 10 lessons every employee can learn from watching the World Cup:
Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.
The World Cup athletes have a "Whatever it takes" attitude. They've made the decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory.
These athletes embrace conflict for growth.
When most people run into an obstacle, they seek escape. World Cup athletes have a plan to push forward when this happens and learn all they can from the challenge. They know facing adversity is part of being successful.
These athletes are held accountable on so many levels.
One of the biggest problems is that most people have no means of accountability or a support system in place when it comes to what they're trying to accomplish.
World Cup athletes are learning machines.
They spend hours practicing, studying their competitors, watching videos of their performances and session after session with their coaches and mentors. If the average person adopted just a fraction of this work ethic, the results they could achieve would be endless.
World Cup athletes know very good is bad.
For the average person, to be classified as very good is something to be proud of. For the great ones, it's an insult.
World Cup athletes make "Do or die" commitments.
When most people are burned out from the battle, these athletes are just getting warmed up. It's not that they don't fatigue; but their commitment to their dream of winning keeps them going.
World Cup athletes are consistently great.
The reason they are so consistent is because their actions are congruent with their thought processes. They have a very clear mental picture of what they want, why they want it and how to move closer to their target objective.
World Cup athletes are coachable.
Most people will only accept the amount of coaching their egos will allow. Champions like these athletes are well known for being the most open to world-class coaching. The bigger the champion, the more open-minded they are.
World Cup athletes compartmentalize their emotions.
In other words, they have the ability to put aside anything else going on at that very moment, and focus only on the task in front of them.
World Cup athletes think big.
Ask most people what they're thinking at any given time, and you might be surprised to learn how many think about just getting by. That's called selling yourself short. These athletes are fearless and focused on manifesting their ultimate dream of winning the World Cup.
Next time your employees try to cover up that they are watching the World Cup, tell them it's okay. Have them copy the thoughts, beliefs and actions of these world-class athletes to increase the bottom line in your business.
Remember, the great ones' habits, actions, and behaviors are totally congruent with the size and scope of their ultimate vision. That's why we call them champions.