The Network Garden

One of my favorite axioms from sports is the notion of Situational Awareness.

This is the idea that so much of success and failure boils down to understanding the field of play, the goal lines, the “clock” as the window to achieve the goal and the subtext that has to go right for the play/drive to succeed.

So much of winning comes down to one’s ability to “read and react” as new facts present themselves on the ground.

Sports is a great metaphor for business and life, which is why so many of my favorite strategy books come from the sports coaching world.

( Some Faves: “Think Like A Champion: Building Success One Victory at a Time,” by Mike Shanahan, “Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court,” by John Wooden, and, “Finding a Way to Win: The Principles of Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation,” by Bill Parcells.)

Does sports as a metaphor hold true? Are there gotchas that one needs to hold front and center?

Are there different metaphors that drive & inspire you?