Friends of Dave #133: No Pleasure Cruise
They are the champions of the world...and we should be applauding them.
NOTE: if you are connected to me on LinkedIn, you may have noticed that I shared a post similar to this earlier in the week. I have a little more real estate here, so I decided to expand on my thoughts a bit this week if you are interested.
Last Sunday we witnessed something pretty special for our country -- the US Women's National Soccer team won the World Cup.
Whether you watched it or not, by now you may be aware that what this entire team accomplished is remarkable.
Here are some additional impressive facts you may have missed:
This was only the second time in history that a women's team won back-to-back World Cups -- the US joined Germany who did it in 2003 and 200. Since 1930, only two men's teams have won back-to-back World Cups as well.
Only two managers (male or female) have EVER lead a team to back to back World Cups -- Vittorio Pozzo for Italy men's in 1934 and 1938, and now Jill Ellis for US women's in 2015 and 2019.
Sunday's win marked a 12th consecutive victory at the Women's World Cup for the US and is the longest run in the history of the FIFA World Cup (men's or women's).
Megan Rapinoe became the oldest player to win either a Women's World Cup Golden Ball (best player) or Golden Boot (top scorer) award -- she won both.
In case you were curious, the best US Men's National Team finish in the World Cup was 3rd place....in 1930.
More 2019 Women's National team jerseys have been sold than any other US soccer team, men's or women's, ever.
Taken at face value, this was an achievement to be admired by all: a strong, skilled, well managed, diverse team (age, race, etc.) that formed unquestionable chemistry despite some big egos, varying talent, injuries and some big distractions, remaining focused and disciplined to dominate the entire tournament in exciting fashion.
If you were a fan of the "Beautiful Game", you knew it was an almost flawless display on the pitch. If you were not a soccer fan, each game was just exciting to watch. If you appreciate seeing teams firing on all cylinders to achieve a goal, whether it be in business or sports, this was a masterclass. If you are a woman, how important of an example was it for our daughters AND sons to see our countrywomen, lead by a female coach, make history? And if you were American, in the wake of the 4th of July weekend, more reason to proudly wear red, white and blue. Yeah, teamwork!
At a time in our history where we could use a catalyst to spark some patriotism and collective national pride (particularly when most major sports were on hiatus), this should have provided a fine, widespread dose. But unfortunately, it didn't -- not at least as one would expect.
We now live in an era of 24/7 news cycles that are driven by clicks, shares and retweets -- where spotlights run white hot to help illuminate short attention spans, discord stirs the pot and creates clickbait and everything seems to find a political angle or agenda. While athletes and politicians have always used their platforms to get their messages out, now it is different. Now everyone has a megaphone in their pocket, eager to broadcast whatever they want, whenever they want, and with little regard for how their messages are received.
I find it funny that people will quickly change profile pics on social media accounts to show support for tragedies or causes in other countries almost indefinitely. Yet we somehow can't step away from our bubbles and simply appreciate and celebrate the talent and excellence displayed by athletes on one of our nation's most accomplished sports teams for what they did on the field playing a game without making things political.
I believe we were capable of achieving this perspective before, and I really hope we can get back to doing it again soon. In my opinion, that is what truly makes America great....
Now, just because I went a little long on the preamble this week doesn't give you an excuse to skip the articles. I'm trying to keep them pretty light, but there is some really insightful stuff there, so do not sleep on them. And if you haven't already read it, try to make some time to get into the story in this week's Last Word -- it's a little long but it is well written, entertaining and reads fast.
Have a great weekend!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
The Wrong Ways to Strengthen Culture
“That’s the part of leadership people often miss—enabling your organization to actually adopt the new culture you seek to have.”
Great look at the common missteps companies make that often thwart efforts to improve their culture.
A Few For Your Day Job...
Why customer-first companies ultimately win
Two variables seem correlated with customer centricity or lack thereof: 1)Loyalty: for whom is value built? 2) Scale: how big is the business? When loyalty shifts away from customers and scale abstracts their individual value, companies begin accumulating systemic and existential risk .
Interesting, in-depth look at how loyalty and scale can have an impact on customer experience. A little long, but worth it, as CX is becoming a much bigger factor in sales, marketing, product and how to build a company culture.
Get It Right Or Get It Done? A Framework For Figuring Out That Elusive Cultural Fit When Hiring
Awesome, insightful post by Friend of Dave Erica Seidel on the importance of identifying the kind of company you are when evaluating talent: are you more analytical and methodical or urgent and nimble? Some great tips on how to make sure you get the right fit when hiring.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Metallica Announces Release of Illustrated Children’s Book
In related news, I hear Eminem is planning to release a Christmas album....
Why are people in Japan renting cars but not driving them?
No confirmation that Marie Kondo is secretly behind this trend...
7 Wild Facts You May Not Know About Seahorses
These mind blowing facts may change the way you look at seahorses forever....or not...
And The Last Word....
Smackdown: A Class Riot Among the One Percent at Brooklyn’s Oldest Nursery School — www.thecut.com
File this in the "I Can't Even" category.....What happened when Grace Church, Brooklyn’s oldest nursery school, decided to become less old-fashioned? A riot among the one percent. Now the Brooklyn Heights preschool is locked in parent-teacher drama. LONG READ ALERT, but you will definitely be entertained....