The story of a turnaround can go in one of two directions. Some teams achieve early success until a defining moment sparks a downward spiral and crash. Others struggle early but persist until they eventually achieve. Both stories are captivating for their dramatic twists and ultimate turns. What once seemed like a defined direction changes when winners lose and losers win, and we watch awestruck, wondering how and why the turn of fortune occurred. While each scenario is distinct, the mindsets that take teams on these paths are compellingly consistent. Since the Olympics is a stage that inevitably offers scores of turnaround stories, let’s look at two that ended very differently.
U. S. Men’s Gymnastics
The United States men’s gymnastics team orchestrated a memorable and sadly negative turnaround with a collective collapse in the medal round of the team competition. The U.S. men’s team was riding high after shocking the field with a number one finish in the qualifiers, capitalizing on the many errors made by China and Japan. However, the medal round proved a surprisingly different story. China and Japan recovered while the United States collapsed. The United States was amped for their chance to claim gold, but may have been overcharged for the task at hand. It was widely reported that the team captain, Jonathan Horton gave a rousing speech before the match, saying, "We can go back to the Olympic Village as Olympic champions." While Horton later questioned if a calmer approach would have been more appropriate, his effort was at least from the heart. Maybe the team was too excited, but more likely the confidence just wasn’t there. The New York Times quoted U. S. team member Sam Mikulak as saying, “I think all of us, when we walked on the floor, felt very nervous”. The secret of the team’s collapse probably lies somewhere between being overcharged to achieve a goal that may have been slightly out of reach and simply lacking confidence. The weight of upholding the initial number one finish was likely too taxing for the young and unproven team. Without a history of being the best, defending the number one position can be an overwhelming task. Confidence is built with experience, and the U. S. team didn’t have the experience to pull out two number one finishes in a row. As mistakes quickly started to take place during the individual routines in the medal round, confidence seemed to deplete in the other team members. As one athlete faltered, it seemingly shattered the focus of the respective teammates. Collectively they crumbled beneath the pressure upon them, and finished the medal round a disappointing fifth.
Canada’s Women’s Soccer Team
In contrast to the U. S. men’s gymnastics team, the Canadian women’s soccer team never lost their underdog spirit. There was no pressure or expectation, but there was plenty of hope, which is a piercing combination for a talented, yet unproven team. Canada had not won a medal in a traditional team sport at the Summer Games since 1936, and the women’s soccer team suffered a dismal outing only one year ago at the Women’s World Cup, losing every match. While little changed with the roster, one key tweak had to do with the coach. John Herdman was brought in to instill hope and rework a Canadian squad that clearly had promise, but was struggling to perform. Beyond coming off of a horrendous Women’s World Cup, the turnaround of this team was truly captured in its ability to take a knock-out blow in the Olympic semi-final against the USA, get off the canvas three days later and win the bronze medal against France in a shocking 1-0 win. Although Canada lost to the U. S. in a controversial 3-4 barnburner, they put the heartbreaking loss behind them and grabbed the bronze against a French team that beat them 4-0 last year. Unlike the U. S. men’s gymnastics team, the Canadian women’s soccer team embraced a nothing to lose spirit that carried it from one confidence enhancing performance to another. Even in defeat, they maintained focus and walked away with the pride that they nearly beat the best team in the world. With Herdman believing in them, and inspiring them to reach for new heights, they pushed and grew.
In the end, Canada’s women’s soccer team played to win whereas the U. S. men’s gymnastics team was playing not to lose. These are much different mindsets with radically different outcomes, as one is nervous and protective and oftentimes leads to failure while the other is opportunistic and free and oftentimes brings out the best in us. Obviously these victories and defeats can’t be captured entirely here, but looking at these events as turnarounds, one team collapsed while the other rose up. Why? There are many, many reasons, but a good place to start is confidence and shared belief. The U. S. men’s team lacked the belief and confidence that a team like Canada had. Canada played with a desire and nothing to lose attitude that carried it to success while the U. S. men’s gymnastics team tried to protect itself from losing. One attacked while the other crumbled. One won while the other lost.
Dan Leidl and Joe Frontiera are a managing partners of Meno Consulting and co-authors of the book Team Turnarounds, published by Jossey-Bass. Email them with comments and ideas for future pieces, or connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.