Ever think business is a lot like sports? Let me tell you a story from my archery coaching days in California that might just hit the mark for you.
I was coaching a group of kids aged 8-16. After one round, one of the younger archers returned with my arrows with a worried look on his face. “Oh no, Coach Sheri! What happened?,” he said, “you had four in the yellow and two in the black!”
To a 12-year-old, it looked like I’d messed up or had a serious malfunction. Four arrows were grouped nicely in the yellow, and two were way off in the black. He saw it as a failure. But Caleb didn’t know I’d hit precisely what I aimed for.
Here’s the scoop: My first four shots were the tightly grouped arrows in the yellow. I then aimed for the black ring with the last two because I didn’t want to risk damaging my expensive arrows right before heading to Canada for the summer. I wanted a full workout, and shooting only four arrows wasn’t enough. Learning to “shoot off” (which means aiming somewhere other than the center) in archery also helps handle tricky situations like wind where you can’t consistently score well if you are only aiming at the middle.TL;DR: In business, like in archery, you’re not always aiming for the bullseye. It’s about hitting what you’re aiming at. Set your targets, know your goals, and celebrate hitting them—even if they aren’t dead center.
Alt: Success is not always hitting the bullseye. success is hitting what you are aiming for.