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Editor: Ben W. Glass
Profession: Attorney at Law

Category: Looking Outside the Box

This has nothing to do with business - or maybe everything.

Did you see the article about the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) basketball team? Just before the season began, it discovered that two of its top players had been kicked off the team for violating the schools code of conduct. That left the team with four legitimate Division 1 players on its roster.

The coach came up with a brilliant idea to save the season.

He figured that the team could play traditionally and get beat by a lot or try and slow the game down to a snail's pace and get beat by less. These are two 'that is what everyone else would do options' that were available to him. What he decided to do, however, can be a big lesson for everyone.

He decided to take massive action.

Rather than trying to compete 'by the rules' he decided to 'break the rules' and devise an entirely new scheme of offense and defense. He took his team's most valuable asset, fitness, and changed the game to 'run and gun on steroids'. Not only did the team play full court press for the entire game, but it took every open shot that it could, as quickly and as soon as it could in an effort to 'change the game'.

What is interesting is that when he met with a mentor, who had devised a similar type scheme, the No. 1 problem the mentor warned him against was criticism. Indeed, the coach has been criticized by peers and alumni for running an 'undisciplined that is not the way we do it' game plan.

Never mind that the team is now winning some games, putting more people in the stands and creating a buzz on campus.

Successful entrepreneurs believe:

You create your reality, not the other way around

Picture in your mind what you want and then take massive action that is consistent with the picture that you have drawn in your mind.

Figure out what everyone else is doing and then do the opposite

Expect, but be immune to criticism. Lots of people will criticize you when you "step outside the box." So what?