Event Plus Reaction Equals Outcome

October 23, 2018

I hate “the sky is falling” type of posts! However, sometimes the only way to get through something is to first remove your rose colored glasses and address the problem head on!

My team, the Ohio State Buckeyes are in disarray. If you’re not a sports fan you probably won’t understand how unsettling this is to those of us who are die hard fans. I literally watch every play of every game and read everything I can about my team in between. I love my Buckeyes which is why this post is so disheartening to write.

Urban Meyer, our head coach has a saying straight out of his book on Leadership (which of course I read cover to cover) that he preaches to all his players. Event plus Reaction equals Outcome. Basically it’s another way of saying “Life’s 10% about what happens to you and 90% what you do about it!”

Urban had a position coach, the grandson of his mentor, who was accused of Domestic Violence. That’s the Event. Urban’s Reaction was to basically turn a blind eye to it (sorry Buckeye brothers) The Outcome was a public tar and feathering and a three game suspension for both him AND his boss to begin this season.

Today my beloved Buckeyes are in a state of internal turmoil.

Adversity can pull friends, family, a company and yes a TEAM together or apart! The adversity currently going on with my TEAM appears to be pulling them apart.

“A House Dividend Cannot Stand!”

There’s one fix to this adversity and it starts and stops with LEADERSHIP.

As a fan and even as a Leader myself of an organization, I will eagerly be watching and learning from how my TEAM handles or doesn’t handle this latest adversity.