Pull the Goalie

I originally heard Tyler Coston of Point Guard College use this phrase when illustrating to a group of athletes the value of not being concerned with the taboo social constructs of other people. He brilliantly described how a hockey team that is down towards the end of the game should actually pull the goalie earlier and play without one in order to have an extra offensive player. The analytics (math) proves this to be an effective method in rallying in such games. We discussed reasons why teams don't often put this into practice and it is simply because "they are afraid of looking silly".

We encounter this daily in our lives. What things are you afraid to do because you are afraid that you might "look silly". So often I have failed because I did not attempt for fear of "looking silly".

The following podcast (Revisionist History) by Malcom Gladwell addresses this with a basketball analogy. Click on the picture to get to the podcast. How many GREAT IDEAS are squashed for the fear of "looking silly"? It is a great listen!

#paceforward