We are enjoying rare times in Ottawa, where an event mobilizes the spirit of a city. This event is the success of our Ottawa Senators hockey team which is on the brink of a possible final playoff series for the Stanley Cup.
Many sport experts say the Stanley Cup could be the toughest prize to win in professional sport. You have to win 16 games, eliminate four of the league’s toughest competitors. This feat could take 28 games to accomplish. Major league baseball and football champions usually play from three to 12 games to win the ultimate prize.
There are some poignant lessons that organizations (our organization) can take from the successful journey of this year’s Senators.
Skill level is not a determinant of success
o Past Senators lineups have featured names like Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Alexei Yashin, Tom Barraso; all considered among the most highly skilled in their position. These teams failed. This year’s performance is the clearest demonstration of teamwork-over-individual-performance that we’ve seen in the club’s ten playoff runs,
The agony of defeat can be a lesson for success
o Failing to meet expectations have resulted in a team that has quietly and humbly challenged itself to watch, learn, and apply a stronger work ethic toward achieving its goal,
Believe in yourself, not what others are saying
o Even a brief legacy of failure can convince you that critics and naysayers are right. This year the team flew under the radar, making the playoffs for a tenth straight year, and have been considered by many as underdogs in each series of these Stanley Cup Playoffs. Does it look like they were listening?
Let’s apply some of these lessons to our healthcare organization.
· Although we promote strategies around recruiting the best talent, our investments in team performance could be what ultimately leads to success
· We make mistakes, but often fail to discuss what went wrong and how to avoid repeating them. Let’s learn from them. I can tell you that in my many years at the ROHCG, I’ve had several beautiful mistakes – ideas that seemed wonderful, but for some reason failed. I’ve tried to take a lesson from each of them.
· Our organization has gone through so many significant changes in the past year and because some expectations haven’t been met, levels of criticism, skepticism and pessimism are high. The success of our hockey team is demonstrating that we can win, as teams and individuals if we believe in ourselves, and not be discouraged by the negativity that may surround us.
The Ottawa Senators have placed among the top four teams in the National Hockey League, with the potential to reach the final two and perhaps capture the Stanley Cup. But the journey was long and the struggle was immense. Why would the journey toward becoming a “Centre of Excellence” be any easier?
