Whenever your role is as a leader of a new team, the vision and direction are up to you and/or your senior management. After the vision is set, your job is to ensure roles and expectations are divided up and day-to-day activities are clear to everyone on the team. The question then becomes, how do you set the timeline for success? How do you decide how long it will take to achieve the vision you set for your team? One thing is for sure. You don’t want to underestimate the power of bringing motivated, dedicated, achievement-oriented people together. They just may surprise you.
The perfect example of this is the new professional hockey team, The Vegas Golden Knights (VGK). They came together as an official new member of NHL’s hockey league in 2017. Many doubted that Las Vegas could sustain a professional hockey team, you know, being in the desert and all. And, almost EVERYONE doubted they would win so many games making it to the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural year.
But new does not mean you have to pay your dues for years before you can achieve big results.
Gerard Gallant, the coach of the VGK, was like any great leader, showing the team what his expectations were. He said, “My goal is to bring home the Stanley Cup in the next 6 years.” The Stanley Cup being the Super Bowl of Hockey.
But, he underestimated his team. Quebec born goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, said, “Why wait? Let’s do it earlier”. What an athlete. What a visionary. What a surprise! Yes, this new team surprised the nation by making it to the Stanley Cup finals after winning the Western Conference Division.
They didn’t win, but in making it to the finals against the Washington Capitals they sure brought the city of Las Vegas together. Not only did they go further in the standings than many expected, but they gave the city something to cheer for. After the horrific attack that killed 58 people on October One, the city needed something to bring people together in celebration as opposed to pain and mourning. So, before the final home game, they raised a flag with 58 stars on it, and retiring the #58, indicating that no VGK player will wear that number. This showed tremendous dedication and honor to the city. And in turn, Las Vegas showed their love and support of their new team.
Success in business and in sports is never guaranteed. But, once you put your team together, inspire them with your vision, assign roles and expectations with clarity, then you are more likely to achieve the results you desire, maybe even quicker than you thought.
Thank you Las Vegas Golden Knights for exceeding our vision and bringing our community together.
Until next time, I’ll see you in the front-row!
Marilyn Sherman
