In last week’s playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers, Pete Carroll found his team behind at halftime 31-0. How he handled this situation is a lesson that all financial advisors should take to heart.
Following his tremendous leadership and optimistic core values, the entire team still believed they could win. They understood that they had given up touchdowns on “flukes” that they could correct in the second half, and they knew exactly how to infuse their offense. This is the epitome of “optimism in the face of defeat.” They proceeded to outscore the Panthers 24-0 in the second half.
In the end, Seattle lost to the Panthers, 31-24, but it was not interpreted as a defeat. Pete chalked up the loss to “we simply ran out of time.” Moreover, Pete is already talking about how amazing he expects next season to be.
[Tweet “#Financial #advisors: great #adversity lessons from the Seattle @Seahawks’ 2016 playoff experience:”]For financial advisors facing dramatic market fluctuations, it is often difficult to remain optimistic with clients who are frightened or angry because of the negative impact on their portfolios. To remain optimistic means that the advisor has to understand and translate to their clients that market slides are temporary in nature – “fluke” world events that are unlikely to repeat themselves.
Financial advisors also need to point to a bright future. By sticking with your core values, you can find a different way to interpret events and optimism for the future. Like Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, you may not win every game, but if you keep putting your best foot forward, there will be a Super Bowl in your future.