Earlier this week, I was watching the Cavs play the Knicks in game one of the Eastern Conference NBA finals, and the Cavs were leading 93-71 with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. “Well, this game is a win for the underdog,” I thought, as I began tidying up the living room and getting the dogs ready for bed. A few minutes later, as I was headed upstairs to bed, I glanced at the score on my phone and did a double take. Suddenly, the Knicks were within five points of catching up with 3:30 left on the clock. Anyone who watches basketball knows that the last few minutes of a game can be an eternity and plenty of time for any team to catch up and win. The Knicks went on to tie the game at the end of regulation and continued to dominate in overtime completing a 44-11 point run, winning the game 115-104. Historically speaking, NBA teams holding a lead of 22 or more points in the fourth quarter have a 594-1 record and the Cavs just made it 594-2. So, this was an epic collapse! What was the cause?
Complacency was the cause. Perhaps this large lead lulled Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson into a sense of complacency to the point that he felt the Cavs could not lose. He had plenty of timeouts left and could have called one after six or seven unanswered points to regroup his team and adjust. But he did nothing. He waited until the Knicks scored 16 unanswered points before calling a timeout. By then, the crowd was in a frenzy and the Cavs players themselves were in a state of shock. I used to coach a men’s basketball team in the Columbus Ohio Recreational League and if we were leading the game by a wide margin going into the fourth quarter, I would urge my team to play like the score was the other way around. If we were leading by 10, I would say, “We are down by ten so go out and turn this thing around. Play like we are the team behind and do not get complacent!”
The same lessons carry over into the business world, and this hit me as I was visiting a customer in Indiana. I read a placard hanging in their conference room which read, “The greatest threat to excellence is complacency.” – Nick Saban. If you are familiar with Nick Saban, he has been a successful coach at the University of Alabama with a record there of 101-18, seven bowl appearances and five victories.
After reading this placard, I interviewed the company’s GM as I wanted to hear how his company battles complacency to remain in the forefront of the industry. This company uses a team approach when it comes to meeting goals and solving problems. Whenever I am visiting to do a quality audit, the day’s activities are always reviewed in the conference room at the end of the day by the whole production team, with the GM presiding. This includes the results of my audit. This company is obsessed with measurement. Measurement systems are employed to monitor various aspects of product quality, productivity and even machinery status.
“You see measurement is extremely important,” says the quality manager. “You need to know where you are now before you set a goal for where you want to be. Once you decide how you are going to get there, you need ongoing measurements to determine what level of progress you are making toward your goals.”
So, one might say that this company is highly focused on measurement techniques. They are highly focused on investing in new machinery that lends itself to data collection, or modifying existing equipment, if possible, to lend itself toward measurement. When I quoted them a new argon filling machine, they told me that they would not buy it unless it came with an ethernet connection so that they could collect daily information on the fill rates of each insulating glass unit (IGU). So, I got them an ethernet connection. It was added to this machine to meet their needs for measurement. They are also investing in new software which collects this data, analyzes it and aids process improvement. Indeed, there is no complacency residing here.
So, the key point here is that successful companies must constantly fight complacency. They do so by constantly scrutinizing metrics – measurements which depict the heartbeat of the company. These might be measurements taken from the factory floor as well as sales and profitability numbers. Once the metric monitors are plugged in, the company leaders continuously strive to move the meter.
There are three keys to avoiding complacency:
One: Constantly monitor your current position. The score alone doesn’t tell you everything. You must measure and analyze all the key factors and not just the score. After three quarters of play, the Cavs bench had outscored the Knicks bench 22 to 11. So, if you see your oldest starter, James Harden, looking tired and letting the Knicks leading scorer, Jalen Brunson, score at will in the fourth quarter, then call a time out, pull Harden out of the game, and replace him with some fresh legs from the bench.
Two: Focus and never lose sight of your end game. The key word here is focus. Sometimes success can have an adverse effect as it lulls you into a false sense of security. The result is you relax a bit too much and let your guard down. It can make you feel like a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter is already a win, but as the San Antonio Spurs broadcaster, Dan Cook, always used to say, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings!” Or, how many times do you see in the movies, where the villain is almost killed, but not finished off and returns later to wreak more havoc? So, no matter how well your business seems to be going, keep doing what has brought you success, such as sales training, marketing, customer service, operations efficiency, and leadership and don’t let off the gas. Once goals are met, then create new goals to always keep the company moving ahead and never lose focus. Just because you achieved success yesterday, that doesn’t guarantee success tomorrow.
Lastly: Leaders must steer the ship. Do not fall asleep at the wheel as the Cavs coach apparently did. Leaders are not paid to just watch, but to also adjust as necessary to keep the organization headed towards achieving goals. They call them steering committees because they are there to adjust the course of action and not sit back relying on cruise control.
So, there you have it. Just when you think your company is doing great and you can do no wrong, complacency is waiting in the wings to snatch victory away. There is no shortage of hungry competitors out there, so it is crucial to constantly monitor your position, focus on your goals, and be ready to steer the ship to success!