3 Lessons I Learned From The Super Bowl
As I sat down to watch the Super Bowl last night, I found myself asking: Why?
I couldn’t tell if I was watching it because I wanted to, or because I was supposed to.
Back in the day (working in corporate), I would’ve been watching the game to make sure I was up to speed to fit into the conversation in the office the next morning. But now that I am not going to an office, does it really matter? Was I watching the Super Bowl (or any sports really) because I like sports or for the sake of fitting in? Fitting in amongst a room full of men who I knew would be watching the game, and the customers that I would be interacting with later in the day?
While I acknowledge that I’m leaning into a stereotype, I found my thinking challenged as I tried to determine the difference between 1) the actions and behaviours we take on as a means to get us to our goals because they’re aligned with who we are, and 2) the actions and behaviours that we take on from others because we feel the need to adopt them in order to see the same results.
In other words, do we need to keep up with men by having the same interests as them or can we bring a different perspective to the table without watching football?
LESSON 1: AUTHENTICITY LIES IN THE CHOICES WE MAKE
Now, I did end up watching the whole game. Overtime too. And in my humble non-football-expert opinion, the only team that showed up to play was Usher.
You could say that I spent the first part of my professional life in the entertainment industry. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue dance and music, and found myself teaching, traveling, and performing live shows for two years before university. As a result, some would say I’m the worst person to watch live concerts with as I notice the things that are missed: the step, the cue, the light…
But what makes these performances flawless is relentless preparation combined with the artist and entertainer’s presence.
They are able to pivot, shift, and improvise in the moment because they know the set, the song, the choreography like the back of their hand.
They trust themselves and they trust those around them.
LESSON 2: PREPARATION + PRESENCE = PERFORMANCE
Think about it, the more you understand yourself, your skills, your strengths (preparation) combined with practices and tools to be aware in your work (present), performance is the natural result. And high performance or peak performance, is a direct result of the energy you put into these two things.
Whether or not you watched the game, you don’t need to be a sports fan to know that most of them involve the passing of some object, often a ball. And all of the players on the team run around the designated surface trying to get the ball into some type of other object. Okay good, sports covered.
As a result, our focus, and the activity of the players, revolves around where the ball is. But what about where the ball isn’t…? When you have the ball, the more players you attract to you, and the more space you create to pass the ball to a teammate. The pressure has moved and left an open space for you to make a play.
LESSON 3: PUT THE BALL WHERE THE PRESSURE WAS
Acknowledge the open space and see how you can fill it.
As I experienced in corporate, and continue to hear in client conversations, being heard and seen at work is hard. As stress, urgency, and yes, the patriarchy, rush towards us, our focus can be distracted and we can lose ourselves in the process.
There’s good news though: there is open space for us to do things differently. To develop the skills, learn the tools, and apply the principles, to stand in authenticity at work. And this is the space I’m planning to fill in my upcoming webinar on International Women’s Day. To get first access, sign-up now.
In the meantime, let me know which Super Bowl Lesson was your favourite in the comments below.
Kirsten Schmidtke is a professional coach, speaker, and lover of lake life. She works with leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to help them up-level their careers, businesses, and lives. Are you ready to explore what’s possible for you? Contact Kirsten to start the conversation!
