I am a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fan, as in short for fanatic. In fact, I am somewhat atypical in that MMA is the only sport I really follow. While I do keep up with the Orlando Magic, I don’t follow any other teams or sports. In my house, it’s all about the MMA.
Part of the attraction is based on previous involvement in martial arts; the other part is an appreciation for the amount of dedication, skill, and strategy involved in top-level MMA. For those of you who think MMA is nothing more than a glorified bar fight in a cage – you could not be more wrong. Top-level MMA fighters are among the most highly conditioned athletes in the world, achieving a level of fitness that is probably only ever seen by elite Special Ops soldiers and a handful of Olympic athletes.
With its complexity, variety, and competitive nature, MMA provides a number of excellent lessons for small business owners.
The idea for this post has actually been rattling around my brain since I started this blog in February. It might have continued to do so indefinitely had not inspiration appeared yesterday in the form of expat life coach John Falchetto’s excellent post about sports and what it teaches about overcoming challenges. (Check out John’s great new website design from Bonsai Interactive!) John’s post inspired me to finally sit down and write about small business and MMA.
So now, the three most important lessons mixed martial arts can offer small business owners:
Focus on Strengths, Work Weaknesses As Little As Possible
In his prime, Chuck Liddell dominated his division by being the absolute best at fighting on his feet (known as “standup”). By all accounts, his ground game was strong, but at the championship level at which he was competing, he was facing fighters who were simply better than he was in that area. Standup was Liddell’s strength; ground fighting his weakness.
So, did Liddell spend huge amounts of time training to beat the ground gurus at their game? No. He came up with a better solution: he trained himself to become almost impossible to take down. In his prime, Liddell had arguably the best takedown defense in the sport. And as long as he kept fights standing, he was able to keep the contest centered on his strengths – putting people to sleep.
In business, we cannot be the best at everything.
Of course, significant weaknesses must be addressed, as they can often be very damaging. However, there is a big difference between addressing weaknesses so they can’t destroy you, and investing precious energy into trying to turn them into strengths. The former is important; the latter distracts you from what is more important – continuously improving your strengths so they stay sources of competitive advantage.
Don’t Abandon Your Strategy Just Because It’s Not Working Perfectly
While many attributes separate champions from other fighters, one of the primary differentiators is that champions follow the game plan. Too many fighters work a strategy for months with their team, and then abandon it within the first minutes of a fight. More often than not, the abandonment is not based on a fundamental shift in the assumptions underlying the strategy but on minor setbacks. If I had a nickel for every coach heard telling his fighter between rounds to stick to the game plan, well… you get the point.
Business is no different. People are wont to abandon a strategy because of a few bumps in the road. If you believe that the strategy was well founded at its inception, then you should not abandon it at the first sign of resistance. Have the fundamental assumptions and conditions underlying the strategy changed? Is there any reason the strategy is no longer viable? If not, you probably need a minor course correction, not a U-turn.
Everyone Loses, It’s What You Do With It
The most apt MMA metaphor for business owners lies outside of the cage – it’s a fighter’s career. You see, one of the attractions of MMA is that with 4 oz. gloves, knockouts can come out of nowhere. Anyone can get clipped. And as such, even the best can be beat.
In 2007, underdog Matt Serra knocked out George St. Pierre (GSP) and became the UFC Welterweight Champion. However, GSP took that loss and learned from it; he got his belt back and has established himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters in the history of the sport since then.
In business, we sometimes lose.
Whether it’s a key contract, a competitive location, or valuable endorsement, we will never win each battle. What matters is learning from the experience and not letting the disappointment dissuade you from pursuing your goals. Any long-term objective worth having is likely to have setbacks and failures on the path to its accomplishment. You can lose battles and still win the war.
So, readers, I hope the little bit of blood on the canvas hasn’t scared you off. Let me know… Does MMA provide valuable lessons for business? Have you experienced any of the three lessons in your own businesses? Are you tired of sports being used as a metaphor for everything? 
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I’m tired of sports being used as a metaphor for everything, yes I am. I use them with care because in my case I couldn’t practice any sport (unless you include board games) until I was in my late teens due to asthma.
When I did manage to run more than 10min without feeling like someone was strangling me I got inspired by the lessons I picked up in sports.
I think metaphor posts have a place when they come from personal experience. I would never do a post “5 lessons from golf for business owners’, I know nothing about golf.
You are right about sticking to the game plan. How many times I have seen businesses spends a lot of time and money developing a great strategy, business plan or PR plan and throw it out of the window the minute it doesn’t go exactly as planned.
When I started my outdoor coaching business in 2003, I had yet to learn that we lose sometimes. I did fail and just like in sports, I trained harder and got back up in the race.
Thanks for the shout Adam, GSP is a great athlete.
Yeah, I was a bit tongue-in-cheek with the last question.
Metaphors from other disciplines are great, but some, particularly those from sports, can be just over-worn and predictable. I agree if it is something personal or that you are invested in, you can find unique ways to talk about it that are not hackneyed. You did that with your post (I hope I did it here.)
I remember the keynote from a business conference I attended was a professional skier. I figured his speech was going to be completely predictable (know your strategy, adapt to the course, etc.) but he ended up making it an incredible story about failure, mentality, and perseverance. I think there’s always gold to be found if you look hard enough.
Thanks for the comment John and for the inspiration!
Adam Toporek recently wrote about this…Surprise! A Lesson in Superior Customer Service
Twitter: bdorman264
Tough, you want tough? These MMA guys subscribe to my fitness routine………..who is that pasty dough-boy anyway?
Wow, great article on several levels. You can shore up your weaknesses, but you don’t want it to detract from maximizing your strengths and being the best you can be; top of class kind of good….
I too have seen people abandon strategies at the first bump in the road. In my world, especially with the initial meetings we have a certain game plan that needs to be followed if we are to remain in control of the process. I’ve seen too many times a business owner say ” well, don’t you just want to quote this” and the easy thing to say is “yes”. However, if you didn’t follow your game plan now you look just like everyone else and the decision will be price only. You are no more than a vendor and you allowed it to happen. A huge waste of resources………
Trust me, I know about losing as well. As painful as it can be it certainly allows reflection and the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. A lot of times you want to paint the customer as the bad guy, but if you really look at the root cause why you were so easy to fire, there is always something in there you could have done better.
Those guys are tremendous athletes, I wish I had that level of dedication to fitness (of course I reached my optimal level of fitness so I don’t need to work out anymore……………..:)
One of your better ones Adam, it was really good.
Bill Dorman recently wrote about this…Take me to your leader
Bill… I almost used a picture from the weigh-in with GSP and Jake Shields. Your remember that pic, right? You and I were working as body doubles.
The sticking with the strategy piece is interesting in business because you tend to get both extremes. The one I spoke about in the post (and you commented on so perfectly regarding your sales meetings), people who drop the strategy at the first bump in the road. Then there are the others who can’t let go of a strategy to save their lives; they are committed, even when all of the evidence says it’s time to reevaluate. Now, you don’t find the second problem in MMA that often — as a strategy that is not working is usually very clear and results in pain. But in business, it happens all of the time.
I’m not one of those guys who says “I love to fail/lose because I learn so much.” Losing sucks, but it’s going to happen. Once it does, why not learn as much as you can from it.
I’m glad you like the post. I really appreciate the kind words and the insightful comment!
“…there is a big difference between addressing weaknesses so they can’t destroy you, and investing precious energy into trying to turn them into strengths.”
Like that point, Adam, and it’s something a lot of many-hatted business owners should digest before they try and make everything their “thing” (speaking to myself first!).
Shakirah Dawud recently wrote about this…Genuinely Curious Monday: When Would You Prefer Jargon?
I’m with you Shakirah — that is certainly the one that plagues most small business owners, because we never want any part of our businesses to not be excellent. In the end, modern business is too complex; no one can be superb at every aspect.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you noticed that I did try to explain the jargon in the post!
Adam Toporek recently wrote about this…3 Lessons Small Business Owners Can Learn from Mixed Martial Arts
Yeah, now I know what fighting on one’s feet is called “for real!” Thanks, Adam.
Shakirah Dawud recently wrote about this…Genuinely Curious Monday: When Would You Prefer Jargon?
Twitter: ericamallison
Man, there’s a LOT of testosterone in the room. Thank goodness Shakirah and I showed up! I have to admit, I’ve always had the negative impression you shared up top re: MMA fighting, so thanks for clearing that up! I also liked the analogies you’ve drawn here. I’ve certainly felt like I’ve been in a ring this year, but have also tried really hard to be a “standup” fighter and to keep going while I’m getting punched or thrown curves.
I love the idea of doing what we do best and cultivating those strengths. Anytime, I’ve ignored that or ventured off into “I can do that” land, I’ve gotten burned. Good reminder!
Erica Allison recently wrote about this…Big Lesson from Triberr: It’s All About the Relationships!
Gotta have the T somewhere Erica — it’s severely lacking in the Justice League!
Nonetheless, I appreciate you and Shakirah bringing some civility to this barbaric post. Also, glad I could clear up the negative impression of MMA. It was once referred to as human cockfighting, but it’s come a long way since then!
Thanks for the comment as always. Hopefully, the second half of your 2011 will feel more like a a game of badminton than a cage fight.
Adam, had no idea you were a big MMA fan. Did you know Troy Claus is really big into it as are JK Allen and Danny Brown? As for me, I thought MMA stood for ‘Mixed Marcus Arts’.
Great stuff man, enjoyed the metaphors and liked your point about Liddell. The guy never would have been Frank Mir on the ground, and thus he didn’t try to be. Kinda goes back to the ‘hedgehog concept’ we hear about in the great book ‘Good to Great’.
Keep up the great work bud and ttys..
Marcus
Marcus Sheridan-The Sales Lion recently wrote about this…7 Phenomenal Bloggers That Really Don’t Care If You Like Them or Not
Marcus, I had no idea I was in such esteemed company. I’ll have to see if Danny supports his fellow Canadian, GSP.
I haven’t heard someone bring up the Hedgehog in years! That’s perfect, right on point with the strengths and weaknesses part. Great reference — wish I had thought of it when I was writing the post.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. I truly appreciate it!
Hi Adam,
Though I do not follow MMA, but I have to say sports is very hard work.
I agree with all three of your points. Once we decide on a strategy and it is not working , we should modify it as needed. A few bumps should never be good to debunk whole strategy.
Like with any sport mental toughness is very important and I am still learning to build it.
Ashvini recently wrote about this…Dealing with competion: lessons from Guitar shop on Entrepreneurship
Hi Ashvini,
Good point about sports — to be great at any of them is really hard work. Business is hard work too; and to add to your point, bouncing around from strategy to strategy just makes it harder.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Hi! how could you balance everything, and where do you get your energy. You did a lot of job, right?
elpidio recently wrote about this…CEF and LFSBC Partnership Distribution of Book of Hope
Hard work and great team members. Thx for stopping by!
Adam Toporek recently wrote about this…3 Lessons Small Business Owners Can Learn from Mixed Martial Arts
Ha, I love the witty comparison! I have a friend who is doing really well in MMA and he exemplifies those qualities! Now I just need to integrate them into my business…
rob recently wrote about this…Printing in Outlook 102 – Contacts
I appreciate it! Integrating them into your business is the hard part, but the rewarding part too.
Thanks for stopping by!
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