"We Didn't Come Here To Paint"! Play it safe... or go for it?

The phrase “We Didn’t Come Here to Paint” is something that Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino used once to describe his “go for it” mentality. Let’s dig a little deeper and see if “going for it” works in football, as well as in business:


Economist David Romer noticed that football teams tend to play it safe in fourth-down situations, punting or attempting a field goal instead of continuing to drive for a touchdown. People say they’re willing to fight hard for what they hope to achieve, but their actions undercut their words. So, in research he did for the University of California, Romer isolated one question: Should teams punt or attempt a field goal on fourth down, or take bigger risks by running or throwing it?

His results:

Through statistical analysis, Romer found that teams should “go for it”- whatever down, whatever the score and whatever side of the field they’re playing on. On average, teams willing to take chances seem to win more than lose. Why?... Owners and fans (in your business, think business leaders and customers) only want to win. They love the results of Romer’s research. They get it. NFL coaches (in your business, it’s Managers) mainly want to avoid screwing up. They’re scared of trying and failing. They don’t get it.

Also, I have coached a 6th and 7th grade football team for years. Our mentality with players of that age is that “we don’t punt”. At that age, only bad things happen when you back a punter up 15 yards and ask a center to snap it to him. What I have noticed is that because we have the mentality that we will be “going for it” on 4th down, our whole dynamic changes on 3rd down as well. Instead of starting the process of “shutting down our aggressiveness”, we begin to think bigger and more long term. I think your players are more aggressive when they know that you will be “going for it”. The same thing should hold true in your business. When you have a conservative approach as a manager, your employees tend to follow. If, on the other hand, your employees know that you want to get the most out of your opportunities and that you trust your employees to make it happen, they automatically will respond in a more aggressive mode, and they usually are more successful.

Bottom Line:

Fear of failure causes failure. Go for it! Your fans, or your customers in the case of your business, will love you for it. Guess who else loves to “go for it”?...

The Players (or in your case, the employees of your business). If they know you have faith in them and are willing to take a chance on them, their performance automatically goes up.

Want to win on the football field or in business?---GO FOR IT!

Bits of Wisdom

If you gathered 100 experienced managers together and asked for their advice, they probably wouldn't say much about "competing values models", "temporal rhythms", or any other big terms you hear about in business school.

Instead, this is a good idea of what you’d hear:

Don’t be afraid of the phrase, “I don’t know”.
If you don’t know the answer, don’t try to bluff. If you’re at fault, take the blame. If you’re wrong, apologize. A wise person once said, “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anything”.

Never Gossip
And if someone wants to gossip with you, politely say you’re not interested. This corporate adage rings true; When someone gossips, two careers are hurt- the person being talked about, and the person doing the gossiping.

No task is beneath you
Don’t think you are above anything. Be the good example and pitch in- especially if the job is one that nobody wants to do.

Share the Credit whenever possible
Managers who spread credit around look much stronger than those who take all the credit themselves.

Ask for help
If you think you’re in over your head, you are! Before it gets out of hand, ask someone for help- most people enjoy giving a hand. Besides saving yourself from embarrassment, you’ll make a friend and an ally.

When you don’t like someone, don’t let it show
This goes especially if you outrank them. Never burn bridges or offend others as you move ahead. It could come back to bite you!

Let it go
What shouldn’t happen often does; You weren’t given the project you wanted, you were passed over for the promotion you deserved. Be gracious and diplomatic… and move on. Harboring a grudge won’t advance your career.

When you are right, don’t gloat
The only time you should ever use the phrase “I told you so” is if someone says to you- “You were right”.