If you’re a fan of D.C. sports, you know heartbreak and disappointment. The Capitals fell out of the NHL playoffs to the Pittsburgh Penguins (again) earlier this month. Last night, the Wizards lost against the Boston Celtics, pushing them out of the NBA playoffs. And the Redskins. Well, they’re a story for another time.
How do professional athletes bounce back after a devastating defeat? Hopefully, the same way that you do.
First, they take the loss graciously. Oh, sure, we’ve seen grown men cry. But they don’t give up on the game. They lick their wounds for a few days, and then they get back to work with a new drive and a new determination.
Then, they look at the tapes. They retrace not only every move they made, but also every move their opponent made and analyze the results. Where could they have made different decisions? Which strategies worked and which ones didn’t? How well did they really know the other team? They take a poor performance and turn it into a learning experience.
Finally, they keep their perspective. It may feel like a devastating loss now, but there’s a new season to prepare for. They focus on the future and move on.
Your marketing disappointments may not be as public and criticized as those of our area sports teams, but every low-performing catalog, every unremarkable promotion, and every poorly attended exhibit gives us a new chance to take a good look at what we’re doing and how we can do it better. And if that doesn’t help, there’s always ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better, even for just a little while.