I have to admit––it's fun being a Pats fan!
And I've earned it. I've been a fan long enough to remember driving to the stadium on game day and buying tickets for half off from people who were glad to get rid of them! Those days are long gone. Today I always enjoy invoking Patriot lore in my leadership presentations––especially when other football fans enjoy these references. Throughout the playoffs this year, the Pats have adopted a simple and powerful theme: “One more.” It’s all too easy to get caught up in the complexity or to be so focused on the long term goal that we sometimes forget the timeless words of Lao Tzu…
“Every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The rest of the journey is made of single steps too, and the most important one is the next one. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is famous for keeping his team focused on the next game.
He often frustrates––no, angers reporters for refusing to speculate on anything past the current preparations and the next opponent. It’s not that he doesn’t see the big picture, he certainly does, and the Patriots are never satisfied with any season that doesn’t result in a Super Bowl championship. However, every member of the Patriots organization knows that the only way to achieve a championship is by staying focused on each task and each game as it comes. “One more.” Of course there’s a play on words this year. The Pats have established the latest NFL dynasty. They’ve been in nearly half of all the Super Bowls played since winning their first one 14 years ago––and they’ve won 4 of them. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been together throughout this run. I’m sure they’d like… “One more.” I’m also sure once this one is won and done, they’ll start the next season just as they have all the others during this amazing run. They’ll take “one game at a time.” They’ll “focus on the next opponent.” Along the way they’ll say they’re not thinking about another Super Bowl. They’ll just say that all that’s important right now is…
“One more.” Sound advice!
