Well, the Seahawks received their first Lombardi trophy after they crushed Denver and won the Super Bowl so it’s time for another (last for this season) football-business story.
At Rotary last Friday I mentioned to somebody that I really hope the Seahawks win because fame is fleeting in the NFL in an era where the salary cap is the most important thing to which a team has to pay attention. Don’t think it’s important? The Ravens won it last year and didn’t make the playoffs this year. The Giants won it two years ago and haven’t made the playoffs since. In fact, only two teams have made the playoffs each of the last five years.
The same can be true in business. If you have self-imposed salary caps on your people or equipment you’ll see short-term profits that may not be sustainable. If you overspend you’ll run into cash crunches and profit dips. Ever see a business that has too much space (more rent than necessary) or too much equipment (idle equipment costs money)? Even in my small business I make sure I have the best equipment and that I highly utilize my two assistants.
Take a hint from football. Spend wisely, don’t overspend and stay current. There’s a popular saying in football, “Next man up,” which means if someone is injured the next man needs to step in and make the plays. The Seahawks have a lot of depth and it helped when they had a few injuries this year. Create the same depth for your business.
“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi
* The two teams in the playoffs the last five years are the Packers and the Patriots.
