Truth, Trust, and Success
I will keep saying it because it’s true: one of the best parts of writing something and sending it out into the world is getting responses back. That’s because (1) writing about an idea is enormously helpful in clarifying and distilling it; and (2) when people write back, it means some part of the idea resonated, which means maybe there might be some truth to it. Since truth can be elusive, that’s helpful.
So a little bit more on the u13 girls soccer team’s so stupid goalie because I got more responses to that story and idea than to any other I’ve sent out…
For example, Greg wrote back to tell me that he’d seen the off-center goalie penalty kick strategy deployed in a high-level game that confused and defeated some high-level players that were in the U.S. national team pool because after they saw it, “they couldn’t get their heads right.” His conclusion was that “We all think we grow out of stupid stuff. But more than likely, we just do a better job of hiding it. Until the stress comes.”
I thought that was an interesting potential truth to reflect on.
Then Jon, who previously worked as a lender, said he once found himself in a credit committee meeting where the investment team was advocating for a deal that would lend an amount that was much bigger than what the competition was willing to do. Queried by the CEO, who Jon characterized as “one of the sharpest minds” he’d ever worked with, why that was so, the investment team’s answer was because the other side was “too dumb to understand it.” The CEO’s response was that “there is no point in assuming they’re dumb – assume they’re smart and figure out what we could be missing.” Jon’s conclusion was that “when an idea is solid, it’s as true on a soccer field as it is in a credit committee meeting.”
And that’s true because truth, if true, should travel.
Finally, Bret (not Brett, nor Brent though both Brett and Brent also responded to this particular missive) said it was awesome that the girls I help coach trust me enough to listen to me when I advise them to do something weird. When I reflected on that, I realized that is awesome. That’s because when they were little, players (leaving aside the occasional irrational obstinate temper tantrum) did something just because the coach said to do it. They either assumed you were right or knew they couldn’t disobey. Now that they’re older, they’re much more skeptical and judgy (you should hear how they make fun of my shoes…incidentally if you have odd-sized feet and are able to buy last year’s running or soccer shoes on clearance, you’ll always end up with a great deal but with some garish colors), so when they do something you’ve recommended, particularly if it’s weird, it means they’ve thought critically about whether they should do it or not. In other words, if they do your idea, it means they either agree that it wins on the merits or that they trust your judgment and know that you’re trying to help them and the team do better.
The reason that last point is awesome is that when it comes to life and work, there are probably fewer relationships than you’d hope to have where that trust exists. Because you’ve got to earn it over time, and earning it is hard. But building that trust is fundamental to scaling success, both in life and work, and I truly appreciate Bret for pointing that out.
– Tim
