Forget the Score. Focus on the Game.
Saturday’s NCAA matchup between Houston and Duke was the emotional roller coaster that reminds you why we love competition — and why leadership is so hard to get right.
With just eight minutes left, Duke was up by 14 points. Coasting. Confident. Already picturing the championship. And then it all unraveled.
Houston, who looked out of gas and out of hope, fought all the way back — possession by possession — and stunned Duke 70–67 in one of the most brutal comebacks in Final Four history.
The game wasn’t just exciting — it was a masterclass in two forces every business faces:
Momentum can make you complacent.
Adversity can wake up your best fight.
Duke’s collapse wasn’t because they lost skill. It was because they lost urgency. They thought the game was over — and they played like it.
Houston had every excuse to fold. But they stayed locked in. They defended harder. They trusted each other. And, maybe most importantly, they stayed humble and hungry — even when the scoreboard gave them every reason to give up.
Business is no different.
When you're ahead, stay humble and hungry. Winning isn’t a finish line — it’s a moving target.
When you're behind, stay scrappy and resilient. Significant deficits get erased not by panic but by belief and action.
Success and failure aren’t static. They’re always moving. The best teams and leaders know how to forget the score and focus on the game. Because the only scoreboard that matters is the one you create with your effort, attitude, and next move. Winners don’t wait for the score to dictate their effort. Neither should you.
