In a recent coaching session, my client explained how he missed an opportunity to SHINE during a call with senior leaders in his organisation. He didn’t share his opinion on an issue that would have elevated his visibility. Naturally, he was kicking himself.
I didn’t accept that the opportunity was gone and challenged him to think of how he could still SHINE. He came up with a brilliant idea for an article he could write to position himself. He did, and arguably his article was better in positioning him as a go-to person and increasing his visibility in and out of the organisation.
While we celebrated his achievement, we coined the phrase, “if you miss the shot, don’t miss the rebound”. In sports, basketball is an excellent example of this point. Countless championships have been won because players made rebounds after shots had been missed. As coach Pat Summitt said, “offence sells tickets, defence wins games, rebounding wins championships”.
Applying the same principle to our lives will increase our success. We miss the shots in different ways in our lives. For example;
We react badly to someone instead of giving a well thought out response.
We say no to an opportunity due to fear or a lack of confidence.
We don’t speak up and miss the shot to establish our credibility.
We fail to ask for an opportunity due to limiting beliefs of what we can or can’t do.
This list is endless. The good news is that we can turn it around. I remember giving a presentation when I worked at Goldman Sachs to university students. It was a disaster. I didn’t only miss the shot; I lost the whole game.
I didn’t let that lousy performance dictate my future as a speaker; I made the rebound. I created another opportunity to speak, did a little better and grew from there. Today, I sometimes pinch myself when I hear the fantastic feedback I get from people that attend my talks. I often watch past talks and feedback I receive to remind myself of the power of rebounding and growing - https://youtu.be/CI_s9MUs3Ak.
So, don’t cry over spilt milk. If you miss the shot, don’t miss the rebound. In light of not missing the shot, I have a question. Would you like to discuss how I can help your organisation grow your leaders through coaching or a workshop? I would be delighted to hear from you and share some ideas 😊 .
Memorable Quote -“It is not about how far you fall, but how high you rebound.” John Calipari
Coaching tip - Identify a recent “shot” you missed. Answer this question - What can I do to rebound?Just do it.
Leadership challenge- Accept that missing shots is part of the game of life and teach your team to always look for the rebound. Make it a habit to reward, announce and appreciate rebounds.