Are you ALL IN?

Valentine’s Day:  a time to celebrate who and what we love. . .  Tim Tebow is among them.

Sigh. . .football season is over. . .he’s not in the news any more. . .or is he?  Sports pundits have been comparing the hot new NBA sensation, Jeremy Lin, to our boy Tim.  And yes, I can see it:  he has re-energized his team, which sucked before he started playing for them; he makes both offense and defense play better; he is unselfish and thinks of team first; his leadership is observable and inspiring.  Sound familiar?  Tebow-time!!

But let’s not talk basketball.  Here’s another lesson from the Super Bowl:

The Super Bowl – winning Giants attribute their success to being ALL IN.  After they heard a lecture on the concept, each of them owned up to not always giving 100%.  How about you?  You say you want a promotion and a raise.  You say you want to be treated better by the boss.  Why should you? Are you ALL IN?  In this day and age, where “employee engagement” is the HOT new topic (the Tebow and Jeremy Lin of the work world) the statistics are horrifying:  33% of employees in the thousands of companies surveyed think they “might” leave the job. 55% think they will “definitely” leave the job.  That totals an astounding 88% of the people in your workplace who are not ALL IN.  Can this be a contributing factor to the fact that your business is down?  Is it not completely the fault of the 1%?

Don’t be the 88% of the unengaged.  Someone is going to be recognized and promoted and given more money.  Why not you?  Entrepreneurs: some of you are going to make it big and say “this year has been my best year so far.”  It may as well be you.  How can you do this?

Here are three sure-fire ways to engage 100%:

1. Be proactive.  In football, 100% means you are the first one in the locker room and last to leave.  You are constantly watching film and studying the playbook.  In business, it means to always take initiative: is there something that can be done better or should be attended to?  Make sure you ask to do it, and see it through.

2. Make your boss or client look good.  In football, that means put team first.  In business, it means offering to help the boss prepare for a meeting, or sending clients pertinent information or current news about their industry.  Make sure you bring the boss solutions, not just the problem.

3.  Don’t gossip.  In football, one player can sabotage an entire team’s chemistry.  In business, don’t gossip about other colleagues – in your team or about another team.  Be the person who creates good working relationships across departments.

So on this Valentine’s Day, check out your love for yourself.  Are you satisfied with the job you’re doing at work?  Are you happy with things at home?  Before you complain, ask yourself: Am I ALL IN – giving 100%?  Just do it, and you might win a personal super bowl.