Are you or your organization not achieving its desired results? Are you frustrated because you can’t figure out why? If so, you may find the following story helpful.
A Legendary Leader
In his Masterclass session, legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky tells the story of his first Stanley Cup experience as a member of the Edmonton Oilers in 1983. The Oilers were a young team at the time and lost to the very talented and experienced New York Islanders.
Gretzky and his teammates were dreading having to walk past the Islanders’ locker room at the conclusion of the series. The last thing they wanted to hear was their celebration while they were so disappointed. But what they heard was surprisingly shocking.
A Surprising Sound
They heard nothing.
There was no loud music, screaming, hollering, singing, or shouts of joy. All they heard was silence. Just deafening silence.
What Gretzky and his Oiler teammates learned that night was the Islander players gave every single amount of energy they had to becoming champions. They literally left it all on the ice. Celebration would come later. They had nothing else to give. All they could experience was pure exhaustion.
On the other hand, Gretzky said the Oilers could have played four more games.
A Hard-Earned Leadership Lesson
What the Oilers players learned from the silence of the Islanders locker room was the price you need to pay to become champions. The Islanders paid a greater price. They gave all they had. On the other hand, the Oilers clearly had a lot more in the tank they could have gave but did not.
It was a lesson well-learned because the Oilers would go on to win five of the next seven Stanley Cups and are considered by many to be the best team in hockey’s history.
If you or your organization are not achieving its desired results, I have a few hard questions for you:
- Are you giving every bit of energy you have?
- Are others in your competitive industry working harder than you?
- Are there times you or your teammates coast and don’t give everything you have?
- When you leave at the end of a day, did you leave it all on the field?
- Does losing hurt?
Gretzky and his Oiler teammates had to learn the price they needed to pay to achieve their desired result of becoming world champions.
Do you?
The Top 75 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 2 is my latest ebook. For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional. Hope seems to be in short supply. Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.
Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource. The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.