My Daughter Was Mobbed…

When I saw the mob chasing my 7 year old daughter, I knew it was not going to end well…

There must have been at least 10 of them charging her!

I have a bad feeling about this.

And I couldn’t intervene to get her out of there before they caught up with her and she got knocked down.

So I just stood on the sidelines and watched what would happen.

I probably should mention at this point it was during her soccer practice…

During a practice scrimmage, she had the ball.

And the other team was all coming for her.

At the same time.

If you have ever been to soccer practice for 7–8 yr olds, you know exactly what happens.

The term “mob ball” is totally accurate.

Both teams just follow the ball around the field.

They don’t understand positions very well at that age.

Staying in your zone is hard when you are focused exclusively on getting the ball and then heading toward the opposing team’s goal.

It’s really hard to watch silently from the side.

The ball gets stuck in the mob, bouncing off shinguards, three people kicking at the same time, you know how it goes…

It’s total chaos.

Because they aren’t working as a team. They are all individuals trying to get the ball.

Sitting there on the sidelines, I saw it every time the coach restarted the scrimmage with the ball in the middle of the practice field.

One kid would get the ball and immediately not just the opposing team, but all the players on the field would converge on that player!

20 kids with the ball in the middle of the mob.

How much more efficient would it be if they all knew where the limits of their zone was, and they stayed there. If they would pass the ball to the next zone instead of dribbling the ball their on their own.

I get it, they are just kids. Expectations are really low at this age.

That’s what I tell myself when I’m cringing on the sideline.

The simple exercise of staying in your zone and passing the ball to the next zone is half the battle when it comes to kids soccer!

But how often do we see in business people operating the same way as ‘mob ball’.

I’m not talking about charging the ball.

It’s the mentality that I have to do this on my own.

I have to be the one to take the ball down the field to score the goal.

Ignoring the need to pass the ball to a teammate to actually make real progress.

I’ve seen that in my life countless times.

Maybe it’s just me with the stories I tell myself.

“No one can do this as well as I can…”

“There is no one I can pass this to because I’m the one that has to do it…”

And then the cliche’s I’ve heard amplify those thoughts!

“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

“If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”

“The only ship that doesn’t sail is a partnership”

The thoughts keep rolling around, taking up space in my head.

And I think of how often I’m just playing ‘mob ball’ at life and business because I tell myself I have to be the one to get this specific thing done.

Then there’s the follow up thought…

“Next time, I’ll give this project to someone else.”

And how many “next times” have I kept the project to myself instead of passing it to a teammate?

Specifically I see it in my industry of raising capital and buying apartments.

“I have to find a deal myself.”

“I have to use my own money to close a deal.”

“I have to make progress before I can work with a team.”

The trap that I have to be the one to do everything myself.

The truth is…teamwork really DOES make the dream work.

Having a team in business accelerates the growth, just like having a team on the soccer field accelerates how fast the ball can move downfield.

If…

And it’s a big if…

If you lean on your team for support.

If you reach out to find teammates who want to go in the same direction in business and help them AND let them help you!

Every week, I have to remind myself that I’m playing a team sport, and to lean on my teammates to handle their zone so I can handle mine.

That’s when the magic happens.

When I stop playing ‘mob ball’ and work WITH my team score points.

In business, are you stuck playing ‘mob ball’?

It’s frustrating. It’s much harder. It’s not nearly as much fun.

Find teammates that can play different zones than you.

And play as a team.

Then watch the business scoreboard light up as you move forward together toward your goal.