Complacency is the Enemy
By Jeff Keller

February 22, 1980. Lake Placid, New York - the host city for the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Soviet Union's Olympic hockey team was set to play the US Olympic team in an important game that would probably decide the gold medal. Yet, calling this a "game" was a stretch.

The powerful, professional Soviet hockey team had won 4 consecutive gold medals & was undefeated in the Olympic games since 1968.

The U.S. Olympic hockey team was a collection of untested college players. The 1980 Soviet team was head & shoulders above all of the other Olympic teams.

How good were the Soviets? They had defeated professional teams from the National Hockey League. In fact, months before the 1980 Olympics, the US collegians played the Soviet team in an exhibition game.

The Soviets embarrassed the U.S. squad by a score of 10-3. The players on the US team admitted that they were awestruck by the ability of the Soviets.

The US team regrouped & headed for the Olympic games in Lake Placid. In the opening game, they tied a strong Sweden team by scoring a goal with 27 seconds to play.

The US team won its next 4 games, earning a spot in the medal round & the privilege of playing the Soviet team, who had easily beaten all of its Olympic opponents to that point.

Nobody thought this game could possibly be close. Near the end of the first period, the Soviets led 2-1. With just a few seconds left in the period, a US player took a desperation shot from center ice.

The great Soviet goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, made the save easily & expected the horn to sound, ending the period.

The Soviet defensemen also eased up, sensing the end of the period. But Mark Johnson of the US team hustled past the Soviet defensemen, got the rebound & put the puck in the net with 1 second to play to tie the score at 2-2. 

Going into the final period, the Soviets led, 3-2. But, in what's widely acknowledged as the biggest upset in sports history, the US Team scored 2 goals in the final period to win the game, 4-3.

How on earth did the Soviets lose to a bunch of college students? Simply put, the Soviets got complacent. They were overconfident & thought there was no way the US Team could possibly defeat them.

At the end of the first period, the Soviet goalie didn't think the US had time to score before the end of the period.

And, throughout the game, the Soviets believed that they couldn't possibly lose to a team whose talent was so clearly inferior to their own. The Soviets thought they could easily coast to victory. They were wrong.

Just about everyone in that arena in Lake Placid on Feb. 22, 1980 knew that if these 2 opponents played 9 additional games against each other, there's an excellent chance that the Soviets would have won all 9.

Of course, this principle isn't confined to sports. While I was a practicing attorney, I was fortunate to represent a very astute, highly successful businessman named Jack. He taught me a great deal about success & one of his comments, in particular, stands out. Here's what Jack said:

"My greatest security is my insecurity."

Now, when Jack referred to "insecurity," he wasn't talking about lacking confidence or self-esteem. He was addressing the issue of complacency.

You see, Jack was always able to stay on top, because he never rested on his laurels. He knew that if he let up, something or someone could bring his businesses down. He recognized that yesterday's triumphs don't guarantee tomorrow's successes.

We've all faced this issue in our careers & we've witnessed others who get complacent. I'll bet that somewhere along the line, you had a teacher who had been teaching for many years & was just "going thru the motions." Or, perhaps you were served by a waiter in a restaurant who was just doing the minimum to get by.

Salespeople often get complacent in booming economic times, only to suffer extreme disappointment when there's an economic downturn. Even in the field of professional speaking, it's tempting at times to get too comfortable.

I realized early on, however, that I must prepare for several hours before each presentation, whether I've given that presentation once or 50 times. Otherwise, I will not be at my best.

Take some time to think about your business or your career. Are there any areas where you've become a little complacent... where you've let the quality of your work slip?

Complacency isn't just about trying new things. It's about performing at the highest level you're capable of & maintaining that level every day.

When things are going well, we tend to ease up. And, it's in those moments that we give less than our best effort, squandering opportunities. So, the next time you're a little overconfident & complacent about your work or your competition, think of the Soviet hockey team in 1980. Don't ever let that happen to you!

Jeff Keller
(c) Attitude is Everything, Inc.