I used to talk about basketball every day. These days, not so much – but I still pay attention.


There’s a new topic that basketball players who didn’t/don’t win a lot (and their fans) have created. My theory is, it was created so these players (and their fans) can be right about something when they can’t defer to the actual objective of sports: Winning.


The new debate: Which player has more “Skill”?


“Skill” is indicative of the tools at your disposal. Skill represents what you’re capable of doing. Skill matters. In whatever profession you engage in, I strongly suggest you have it.


HOWEVER.


Sports — as with life — is not about your skill. It’s not about what you could do.
Sports — and life — are about performance. It’s about what you ACTUALLY do. This is a results-based business.


Not a potential-based business.
Not a what-I-can-do business.


It’s a what-you-HAVE-done business.


“Player X has more skill than Player Y!”



👆 This doesn’t matter if Player Y is performing at a higher level than Player X, and is thus producing more results.


Key words in that sentence: Performing and Results.


The comparison that matters – in basketball as in life – is in OUTCOMES.


Not abilities.


If you write books, you may think you’re a better writer than everyone on the New York Times Top 10 Bestseller list.


Or if a speaker, you’re a better speaker than a 20-bookings-per-year speaker who commands a $25,000 fee.


Or a better coach than someone who charges ten times your prices.


In sports, you can believe you’re a better player than the all-state kid across town who scores 30 points per game, while you sit the bench for your team.


Do these thoughts matter?


To you, YES.
To the market, NO


The result is what ultimately matters.


Remember: Results-Based Business.


As both an athlete AND entrepreneur, I’ve been in this situation.


I’ve seen people who I knew in my heart I was better than, but they had the results that I didn’t have. Actually, I still see it to this day. If I look hard enough, I can and will find more of them.


I didn’t sit and complain about it. Nor did/do I try to change the rules of the game to make it more about my “skill”.


I figure(d) out how to turn my (alleged) skill advantage to a RESULT advantage.


That’s the game.


When I told you about The 12 Work On Your Game Commandments, two of them were Complete Ownership (results) and Self-Honesty (objectivity). This is an example of what I mean.


Skill is to basketball what advertisements are to business: A means to an end.


Having more skill is not the point, just like having the best ads is not the point.


You use your skill to win games. You run ads to make sales.


If your business has award-winning ads that don't translate to sales, you will be out of business, despite the genius of your advertising.


An athlete focused primarily on their “skill” has their eyes off the ball. The purpose of developing skills is to use those skills to WIN games.


Basketball slang describes a player’s skill set as their “bag.” Fans and commentators argue about which player has the biggest / deepest “bag” amongst their peers.


In b-ball, your “bag” is simply your tools for the game.


Dribbling.
Shooting.

Passing.
Rebounding.
Defense.


In life, what’s the purpose of tools?


To build things, and to fix problems.


Thus, theoretically, the player with the most tools should build the most important stuff and fix the most important problems.


So in the modern era, the player with the deepest “bag” has to be Michael Jordan. He built the most important thing (championship outcomes) and fixed the most problems (defeating opponents).


But some TV-watching fans will push back on me that Player XXX is a better dribbler than Jordan. Or could shoot three pointers better than MJ.


Ok.


Where did Player XXX dribble TO???
What did all that dribbling WIN?
What did Player XXX ACHIEVE with his “bag” of skills?


Sports is a performance- and results-based business. Skills are a means to that end. If the ends are not achieved, your skill advantage is not a consolation prize. There are no moral victories in sports.


We measure outcomes.
Not capabilities.


If you like this idea of the “outcomes” business, and want to translate your skill into business results like revenue, clients and customers NOW, go here are get started with us: http://www.WorkOnYourGameUniversity.com