This past weekend, the 15th edition of the X Games took place out in LA. I’ve always been in complete awe of these athletes and some of the things they do because I have absolutely zero extreme sports skill. I’ll sit on my couch fascinated by 720s, double back flips, and skateboarders jumping some 40 feet in the air.
As I was watching some of the events this past weekend, I couldn’t help but to think that, although the X Games don’t really appeal to everyone, there’s something that everyone, especially businesses, can learn from the event:
- Know your target market. The X Games don’t appeal to everyone, and they’re okay with that. They’ve been successful because they know who their devoted fans are. Okay, this is pretty standard for businesses, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.
- Know Yourself. The X Games have amazingly gone as close to mainstream as it can while remaining true to its origins. They haven’t sold out to their fans, which has helped them grow. Some companies easily forget “who they are” in an attempt to make it to the next level.
- Go Big or Go Home. You are not going to take home gold at the X Games by playing it safe. You have to pull stuff out of your bag that makes the fans and the judges say “Holy Sh–!” Way too often, companies, marketers, and everyone settle for playing it safe, when that’s getting them nowhere. You want success? You want to come out on top? You gotta get out there and go for the double back flip. You have to take risks. To do this, you have to have:
- No Fear. You think Tony Hawk was scared when he tried the first 900? You think those skateboarders on the big air ramp are scared? I once heard Travis Pastrana had an accident that basically broke the part of his brain that controls fear, making him fearless (I don’t think this is true). The point is, you can’t go big and be worried about failing while you’re doing it. You need to bleed confidence. However…
- You must take calculated risks. No extreme sports athlete goes out in a competition and tries a trick for the first time expecting to land it. They go through months of preparation and practice. They know their limits. Same for business purposes. You can’t blindly take risks and expect them to payoff, you have to be smart about it.
- You gotta know when to bail. When a skateboarder is high up in the air on a halfpipe and realizes the trick he had previously committed to isn’t going to end pretty, he bails. He kicks his board out from under him and slides down the pipe on his knees, coming out relatively unharmed. Had he not bailed, we’re talking sprained or broken ankles, wrists, you name it. I think a lot of business people, especially marketers, get so caught up in an idea they came up with that even when all signs point to its failure, they ride it out to the painful end. What they need to learn to do is learn how to cut their losses and know when it’s time to move on to the next idea.
- Evolve with your environment. Extreme athletes can’t get by with the same tricks from year to year. Each year, the limits get pushed further and further, constantly forcing them to improve. Businesses also can’t just remain stagnant and expect to continue to succeed with what has worked in the past. They have to constantly seek new ways to stay ahead of the competition. You have to always be innovating to stay ahead of the pack. If not, you’re not going to be anywhere near the medal podium.
And you thought the X Games were all about those punk skater kids spinning around and jumping high in the air.
Questions to Ponder:
- Which of the lessons do you think is the most important? Which of these doesn’t belong?
- What other lessons from the X Games do you think are relevant to businesses?
- What was your favorite trick in Tony Hawk Pro Skater?
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“What can you learn from the X Games” by @jackieadkins – http://bit.ly/64eT3
Photo Credit: wZa HK
{ 2 comments }
I think the calculated risks and knowing when to bail points are the two most important to blog about. I see a LOT of bloggers in the past few months writing about how important it is to just jump, to not worry about the consequences, to just plow ahead in pursuit of your dreams.
I believe there is a lot of truth to that, and especially not fearing or doing something just because of the difficulty and challenge. However I think X Games are the best example I’ve seen thus far of WHY just going out to do something completely crazy with little preparation, practice or consideration is a downright bad move. Even worse is when you are plowing through on your course and not adapting for failures, challenges, changes.
It’s well known that I’m a sort of fraidy-cat when taking those leaps and bounds, so my thoughts sometimes get lost in the “go-get-em-ness” of the taking chances posts. This says PERFECTLY what I have been trying to for awhile!
Thanks for dropping in and commenting! I definitely think it’s a thin line to walk in terms of making calculated decisions and taking risks. There’s going to be times when you take risks and fail miserably and times when you play it safe when the reward could have been beyond your wildest dreams. And then, sometimes you just have to follow your gut instinct and go against what the data is telling you to do.
So what does this mean? Take risks, but choose your battles wisely.
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