Paying The Price For Success - Lessons from Vince Lombardi and the Real Life Lt. Colonel from Black Hawk Down
By Terry L. Brock
“Surely there comes a time when counting the cost and paying the price aren't things to think about any more. All that matters is value - the ultimate value of what one does”. James Hilton (1900 - 1954)
When asked if they want success most people say yes. However, when it comes to paying the price many fail to follow through. Yet, that is the key difference between winners and those who just wish they had won.
A while back I was speaking for a group in Appleton, Wisconsin. I didn’t know it at the time, but after a quick consultation with a map, I discovered it is near Green Bay, the home of the Green Bay Packers and major football country. This is not a place where you’d want to come cheering the Chicago Bears!
I called the meeting planner before I left to confirm all the details of my program. I like to make sure everything is in order and double check to confirm. The meeting planner had everything together and it was looking great for the program. Then she told me that they had decided to go with a football theme for this year’s meeting. It was to be held at the Radisson Paper Mill hotel and they were going to have a football theme for the meeting. She invited me to join them for dinner the next evening at the Vince Lombardi Steakhouse at that hotel.
When I hung up the phone I paused and thought about how I could take this information and create more value for my client. When we think about how to add value to what we’re doing we increase our value in the marketplace. Increasing value for our customers is the best way to insure success – but few people are willing to make the effort. Successful people take the initiative and create value for others.
When my client mentioned the Vince Lombardi Steakhouse I thought about my contact with Vince Lombardi, Jr. through the National Speakers Association. I wondered if he might be in his office. After going back and forth in my head, I decided to give him a call. W. Clement Stone taught us years ago that if there is great chance of success and little penalty with failure, by all means take the chance! Realizing I had little to lose, I picked up the phone and called.
Sure enough, Vince Lombardi, Jr. answered the phone. After an exchange of pleasantries, I told him I was speaking in Wisconsin and wanted to know if he would mind giving us a quick hello greeting. I’d record it over the phone and then use it with his picture in my PowerPoint presentation.
Vince was most gracious and kind. He agreed to say something for the group. What he said was nothing short of profound. Vince told me (and the group through the recording) that when people think of his father they often think, “Winning isn’t everything---it’s the only thing.” However, Vince Jr. said that when he thinks of his father he thinks of what his father taught him about the importance of paying the price. If you want to be successful you have to be willing to pay the price for success.
Think about that. Many want success in life and business. However, the essence lies not in just wanting success. That is a good starting point. But you have to go beyond that faint beginning to the tough, nitty-gritty details of doing what is required. In football this means that you can’t wait till game day to think about winning. You have to put in the hard runs, the push-ups, the training on those days not only when the weather is nice but also when it is cold and raining outside. You have to be willing to get up early when others would rather sleep. You have to be willing to turn down the tempting invitation to join your buddies for several drinks the night before when you know you should be hitting the books and studying to better yourself.
Danny McKnight, is a retired Colonel from the US Army. He says you have to be there leading on the tough days. You have to be willing to get up early and provide a sterling example for your people when the going is tough. This is paying the price. Danny McKnight knows about that. He is the real-life soldier who was portrayed by Tom Sizemore in the movie, “Black Hawk Down.” He knows about paying the price and he lives that concept.
What Vince Lombardi, Jr. said has a lot of applications for you and me. We have to do the hard work of thinking, planning, working on the details and making sure all the “I’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.”
My presentation in Wisconsin went very well thanks to Vince’s help and my preparation. I had to know how to make the audio recording, how to edit it just right, how to put it into PowerPoint and then how to present it. In addition to that I had to know Vince Jr. and make the contact. Think of all the elements you can put together in a special way for that next special sales presentation or meeting that you have. Combining several unique benefits makes for a special “WOW!” for your clients and customers.
Being willing to pay the price is important. Paying the price---actually doing it --- is what separates winners from those who merely wish. Paying the price has enormous benefits for those willing to do what is necessary. Take some time and lay out your plan of action for that next big success you want.
Pay the price by doing what you know you should do. Your future self will be very grateful. Somehow I think Vince Lombardi, Sr. would also be proud!
Please share this so others can benefit from this important message about paying the price. It is needed today more than ever. I look forward to your comments.
Terry
TerryBrock.com
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