There are signs of lock-in all around us, and also signs of leaders that overcome lock-in to create a new success formula for the betterment of their organization.
At a recent high school playoff football game the half ended with one team down 21 to 0. The down team had a coaching staff that had worked together for 20 years. Just two years ago they had gone to the state finals. But today, the opposing team “had their number.” There was enough predictability in the game that the scoring team had shut off the down team’s offense completely. The crowd was listless, as the students and parents attending sat through the half time show expecting the season to be over for their team.
With their backs against the wall, and their season ending in just two quarters, the down team needed a miracle. But they got something better.
When the leading team kicked off to start the second half, the last thing they expected was a reverse. But that’s exactly what the down team did! Completely “against type,” they ran a reverse and it yielded them a touchdown on the first play of the half. Less than 4 minutes of game later, the score was unchanged and the down team found themselves with the ball on their own 35 yard line with a 4th and 10. Time to punt.
But, again, against all expectations (and some would call common sense) when the snap got to the punter he immediately took off on a dead run. He got 30 yards (20 beyond the line of scrimmage). Three plays later, the down team was in the end zone and the game was within one touchdown of a tie. And there was plenty of game left. Sure enough, over the rest of the game the down team scored two more touchdowns while the team that was so far ahead at the half was unable to score even one point. The team everyone gave up for lost was the winner – and on to their next playoff game in another week.
What happened was a fantastic example of leaders recognizing their success formula had been “smoked out” by the competition. They realized they wouldn’t win the game if they kept doing the same thing. So they changed. They changed the way they played. And they so confounded their competitor, which had manhandled their team the whole first half, that the competition was “on its ear” for the rest of the game.
It’s hard to change a success formula. Especially if it gave you a championship. But it’s better to win than to defend what you did, but lose. In a dynamic world, winning often means changing in order to upset the competition.
