Whether or not you’re celebrating the Buckeye’s unlikely championship win over Oregon last night, you have to admit the team overcame some serious adversity to get there.
There’s a lot to be learned from their hard work and dedication that can be applied to the world of business. No one expected the Ohio State Buckeye’s to win a championship because the path to success wasn’t an easy one. If there’s one thing I’ve learned while building my own business from the ground up, it’s that the path to success is never easy.
1. Strive to Make it Happen
This is a team that believed when no one else did. After losing to Virginia Tech earlier in the year, everyone wrote them off thinking there was no chance they would play for anything meaningful in January.
They lost their contending Heisman Trophy quarterback early in the season, and all was lost— so they said. They started a freshman quarterback who proved to be sensational, and suddenly the Buckeyes looked like a scary good team. Until that quarterback had a season ending injury right at the time the Buckeyes needed him most. The next game would be the Big Ten Championship game, and the Buckeyes would have to start a third-string quarterback. The season which once looked like it could be something, was gone again.
I mean, who wins major games with a back up quarterback? No one. So, who would expect OSU to win with a back up for the back up?
But then, something happened. The team believed they could impose their will and continue to win. The end result? Three straight wins and a national championship. This is a great case study on how you can overcome adversity to accomplish what you set out to do. It’s not easy— but it can be done. Like the Buckeyes, challenge yourself to realize what your truly capable of in everything you do.
2. Work as a Team
At my company, we speak about leveraging those around you to help achieve your goals. When the Buckeyes started this season, they were a true team, always helping each other push pass limits. They helped each other block the thought of excuses. Excuses are man made and are designed to permit you to fail. That is all they are there for. As a team, they told one another that they could still win, despite the setback. And guess what? They did.
3. Think like an Entrepreneur
I define entrepreneurship as taking responsibility for your outcomes. The Buckeyes did just that last night. They stared adversity in the face and chose not to make excuses which would allow them to fail. Instead, they rose up, and challenged adversity head on. In the moment of truth, our third-string quarterback chose to battle and show that he had the potential to compete at the highest of levels in college football. He took the opportunity given to him, and shined. As a result, many are thinking he might move into the NFL draft and possibly be a second-round selection. Literally no one knew his name even two months ago. This is what entrepreneurial people to. They rise above others by being accountable and focusing on creating the results that are beyond what’s expected.
What Ohio State did last night had never been done before. Never has a third-string quarterback lead a team to a National Championship. For one night, they were by far the best team in the land, and I believe they showed values that we should all strive for.
At my company, Alliance Solutions Group, our mission is to unlock unrealized potential, and that’s just what the Buckeye’s did last night. When you strive to unlock your potential, amazing things can happen. Take these lessons from the Ohio State Buckeyes and start your journey towards your own national championship in 2015.
