Jaffe Juice: We didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time

August 12, 2007

We didn't lose the game, we just ran out of time

I'm sure there are many variations on the story, but the way I remember it, legendary NFL coach, Vince Lombardi, was once questioned after losing a game and he said something to the effect of, "in my entire career, I never lost a single game...I just ran out of time"

It struck me as a sublime way to help us (as businesspeople) cope with the whole notion of "failure" versus "success".

As we discuss on the latest episode of Across the Sound, what seems like today's failure is often times tomorrow's delayed success.

Being quick to judge is bad enough, but in today's volatile climate, where job tenure is as fickle as ever; where both mainstream media and bloggers suffer from either schizophrenic journalism or premature speculation (there are drugs to treat this disorder), it is incumbent upon us to think big picture, long term and stay the course - especially with naysayers jump on the bandwagon and try to derail innovation and progress.

Vince Lombardi was a visionary in that he was both optimistic and pragmatic. He realized that failure is only failure when it is seen as an end unto itself and/or when there are no learnings or insights which can be addressed the next time round.

It is not that dissimilar with new marketing experimentation.

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Comments

My dad was on the Packers' taxi squad in 1965 and eventually cut. He had a copy of Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" around the house when I was a kid, so I read it.

It seems that 'we don't lose, the clock just seems to run out on us before we can win' was a sentiment the entire team shared in those days. Kramer makes frequent mention of it in his book. Check it out - it's an inspirational read.

Posted by: Tom Hespos