Winning Time

I am a die-hard New York Giants fan who finds himself living in the DC area and with a wife and daughter who are avid fans of the Washington Commanders. While this season – like so many of recent vintage – was a disaster for my team, my living situation has meant watching almost every Commanders game.

What struck me is that for the obvious talent deficit they have in several positions, the team is almost always competitive in each game. They won five games in a row on the final play, and seven in total this season. They even have a name for these end-of-game scenarios: “Winning time moments”.

The ability to execute in critical situations often has little to do with talent. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens, whose failure to convert a late two-point conversion meant another disappointing playoff exit for an incredibly talented team. It takes building a culture of execution, especially when it matters most, and placing individuals in high-pressure situations before they happen so they’ve practiced how to respond to these situations.

The organization that is prepared to handle any situation, good or bad, will outperform a talented but unprepared one every time. As Benjamin Franklin expressed the idea, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” As much as we see it manifest in sports, this truism exists in our daily lives as well.

Because the Commanders have prepared for the kind of situations they’ve encountered in late-game situations they already understood what success would require, as well as understanding the most likely failure points. They’re not making decisions in the moment but are simply doing what they’re already rehearsed – in the process, yielding an enormous advantage over opponents who have not prepared as exhaustively.

In our work lives we often encounter situations, good or bad, where preparation is the difference between seizing on an opportunity (or, conversely, limiting the harm) and missing it entirely. Whether through an absence of imagination in anticipating the event or having to navigate bureaucratic hurdles that limit agility in a time-sensitive environment, not already having a plan in place means coming up with one on the fly. Often, that ad hoc plan falls short because it’s rushed and lacks a comprehensive perspective.

I’m a big believer in mental reps, or in Ernst Mach’s words the Gedankenexperiment, constantly working through what I might encounter in a specific situation and what response is needed from me in the moment. Whether it’s navigating objections to proposed legislative or regulatory language, pitching growth ideas within an organization, or challenging others to take on projects that will offer long-term benefits, I always try to think through how each interaction could play out so I have a response prepared and don’t simply react in the moment.

This same approach can offer benefits from an organizational or business planning perspective. When you try and reasonably anticipate where the world is headed, you have a much better opportunity to shape how the world affects your organization (and vice versa). Whether through traditional strategic planning using goals and tactics or a scenario planning approach, having answers to the most likely question you or your organization will be asked in advance makes all the difference.

Because when it’s “winning time”, all that separates winners from losers is how prepared they are for that exact moment.