Bonus Talk: The Most Dangerous Lead in Customer Leadership

The Stanley Cup Final wrapped up this week (I’m a lifelong Penguins fan, but congrats to the Hurricanes and their fans!) As someone who grew up at the rink, I couldn’t help but break from my usual format and reflect on how many lessons from hockey translate directly to project leadership and customer leadership.

Two phrases in particular have shaped how I show up, on the rink and at work.

1. Know your role - but be ready to be the next player up

• Every hockey player is coached to understand their role.

  • A first-line center focuses on driving play and scoring.

  • A fourth-line winger brings grit, wins battles in the corners, and shifts momentum.

  • I was a net-front guy for example, the goals I scored were never pretty, but they counted just like any other puck that went in the net.

• Different roles but standard is the same: Do your job well.

  • When the moment comes though, any player should be ready to step up - score a goal, make a big hit, or shift the energy of the game. Injuries happen. Momentum swings. The team needs someone to fill the gap.

• The customer leadership parallel:

  • Know your role. Master your craft. But stay ready to stretch beyond your comfort zone. Customers don’t care about your job description, they care about whether you can help them move forward.

  • A learning mindset is what prepares you for the unexpected moments where trust is built.

2. A two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey

• It’s one of the sport’s great superstitions and it’s true more often than not.

  • Teams go up by two goals and start playing not to lose.They sit back. They get conservative.And suddenly the other team has all the momentum.

  • Before you know it, the game is tied.

• The customer leadership parallel:

  • Complacency is the silent killer of progress.Whenever I feel myself getting too comfortable, with a process, a routine, or even my own strengths, I remind myself of the two-goal lead.

• Even when things are going well, you can fall behind if you stop growing.The best way to “protect the lead” with customers is to keep improving how you communicate, prepare, and execute.

Bringing it all together

Whether you’re stepping onto the rink or clicking a link to join an online meeting, the same principles apply:

·         Show up prepared.

·         Know your role.

·         Stay ready to stretch.

·         Never get complacent.

You may not be a hockey fan, but you likely have your own sport, hobby, or craft that shaped how you think and lead. Revisit the lessons you learned there as they may be the ones you have forgotten. They often hold the clearest truths about how you show up today.

Reflection:

“What lessons from your sport or hobby have shaped how you lead?”