It’s no secret that I love sports. Last week I was in Las Vegas for a speaking engagement that happened to be two days before the Pac 12 Football Championship Game. So, it only made sense to stick around for the game since 1) my beloved Oregon Ducks were playing in it and 2) with a major conference realignment looming it was to be the last of the Pac 12 Championship as we know it (I’m a sucker for the historic). Being able to watch, follow, or play sports is awesome AND I also love finding the elements and lessons from sports that can be used in business, leadership, and life. During my time at the University of Oregon, I had the opportunity to take a number of sports business classes and at one point I even wanted to pursue a career in the sports industry. While I charted a different course to where I am today, I still reflect on what I learned and how it applies to what I do now, especially after attending or watching a major sports event.

The word “fan” is short for fanatic, which is defined as a person with extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal. The business of sports is dependent on fans and their behavior is closely studied. There are two terms used to understand the degree to which someone is a “fan”. BIRGing means Basking In Reflected Glory. It’s the joy felt when a team wins, the pride of wearing the apparel, and the language used. When fans are BIRGing they often say things like “we won” and “no one can beat us” as if they personally are part of the success and results on the field. On the flip side, you have CORFing which stands for Cutting Off Reflected Failure. This occurs when people stop paying attention, don't attend games, are no longer proud to wear the team colors and use phrases such as “they are a terribly run organization” and “those players suck.” The idea is to understand how closely connected people feel to the team they root for and how to strengthen that relationship.

While this analogy is specific to sports, I think it applies to our businesses as well. There are employees who are with us through ups and downs, who don’t run away when things get tough, and who talk glowingly about “their” company to their friends and family. Then there are employees who don’t feel closely connected, are hesitant to jump in when success isn’t guaranteed, and use “they” when talking about the company to others. These team members will quickly distance themselves when things go wrong, blaming others or the external circumstances as opposed to taking ownership of their part in fixing it. 

The sad thing is that most people are not proud of the organizations they work for. Employee engagement scores are on the decline and up to half of employees are looking to leave their current organization. The question becomes — How do we foster connection among our people and our organizations?

A sense of pride doesn’t happen by just paying a little more money or adding another perk, it comes when people feel aligned with the values of an organization. It happens when people have trust in the company they work for through good times AND bad times. It happens when people understand the purpose and goals of an organization and have opportunities to make meaningful contributions toward them. 

The day after the game in the wake of a loss as we prepared to fly home, I put on my Oregon logo pullover and green duck’s hat and then I watched my son put his Duck’s gear on too. I realized I was teaching him the important lesson of being committed and staying loyal even when things don’t go your way. We said, “We love the Ducks, and win or lose, we still choose fun!”

Do you have a team or organization that you support no matter what? Share with us what team or organization and why in the comments! We’d love to hear about who you’re a fanatic about and why.