Logistics and sport may seem like two separate worlds. At first it seems difficult to find parallels between the flashy spotlights of a World Cup final and the discreet daily hustle and bustle of a warehouse. However, the ideas, reflections and motivations that drive both have much in common.
As on other occasions, in which we have resorted to phrases about chess, war or the world of cinema, we take advantage of other disciplines to talk about what interests us most as a logistics operator: the supply chain.
Great sports events
The sports world is very given to dating. Dozens of sports and countries, each one with thousands of matches and their respective press conferences, their previews, their statements on the field… Despite the fact that clichés and idioms abound in it, there are also many moments of brilliance that have recorded the microphones.
To help organize all these moments, we have grouped our selection of great sports events that you can apply to logistics thematically.
Job
The day to day and the tireless repetition to achieve perfection are our daily bread in sports and logistics. This is how some of the best athletes in history interpret it.
“Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That’s the reason I win.” Nadia Comaneci, gymnast.
“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadly diseases and its damage to success and happiness is great.” Wayne Gretzky, ice hockey player.
“Always do your best, even when the odds are against you.” Arnold Palmer, golfer.
“It is not the size of a man that matters, but the size of his heart.” Evander Holyfield, boxer.
“It’s not the will to win that matters, everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Paul Bryant, American football coach.
achieve the impossible
Making the unthinkable come true is part of the magic of sport. But logistics knows that feeling too. Being able to solve emergencies for clients or creating new services that until not so long ago seemed impossible are two examples of how to achieve unthinkable things.
“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” Muhammad Ali, boxer.
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you go.” Michael Phelps, swimmer.
“Somewhere behind the athlete you have become and the hours of training and the coaches who have pushed you, is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. She plays for her”. Mia Hamm, soccer player.
“The difference between the possible and the impossible is in the determination of the person.” Tommy Lasorda, baseball player.
“Today I will do what others will not do so that I can achieve tomorrow what others will not.” Jerry Rice, American football player.
Talent
Talent or work? What is more important, the daily effort or being born with a gift to do something? We leave you appointments to bet on both positions.
“I was born for football as Beethoven was born for music.” Pele, soccer player.
“My forwards only have to run 15 meters unless they are stupid or sleeping.” Johan Cruyff, soccer player and coach.
“What you lack in talent can be made up for with desire, with movement, and with giving 110% all the time.” Don Zimmer, baseball player and coach.
“There may be people more talented than you, but there is no excuse for someone to work harder than you can.” Derek Jeter, baseball player.
Decision
Decision, determination, winning spirit. There are many words to refer to that capacity and security to take the reins at the decisive moment; something that shines especially in sports and in the world of business (and logistics).
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times they trusted me for the winning shot and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s the reason I was successful.” Michael Jordan, basketball player.
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They are made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” Dan Gable, Olympic wrestler.
“If you don’t go all the way, why go?” Joe Namath, American football player.
“A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid to win.” Billie Jean King, tennis player.
“Show me a guy who is afraid of looking bad and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.” Lou Brock, baseball player.
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Vince Lombardi, American football coach.
Intelligence
Believing that sport is all about muscle or that logistics is based only on big numbers is an equally serious mistake. In many cases it is intelligence and mentality that tip the scales.
“Wisdom always has an advantage over strength.” Phil Jackson, basketball player and coach.
“There are strong players and there are good people. I am a strong player”. Bobby Fischer, chess player.
Make team
Team sports are a perfect demonstration of how much a well-oiled machine is more than the sum of its parts. And the same is true of logistics, in which the ability to work between different departments and companies is essential to achieve the desired results.
“No player is as good as all together.” Alfredo Di Stéfano, soccer player and coach.
“A team is like a good watch: if you lose a piece it’s still beautiful, but it doesn’t work the same anymore.” Rud Gullit, soccer player.
“The way a team plays as a whole is what determines its success. You can have the best bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together the team won’t be worth a dime.” Babe Ruth, baseball player.
“Ask not what your companions can do for you. Ask what you can do for your companions.” Magic Johnson, basketball player.
“American football is American football and talent is talent. But it’s the mentality of your team that makes the difference.” Robert Griffith III, American football player.
“A bad plan is better than no plan at all.” Frank Marshall, chess player.
Modesty
The triumphs of sport are an ideal breeding ground for the bad habit of pride to ferment. However, many of the best athletes in history have also been examples and defenders of humility, as an antidote to not believing ourselves immune to error. A valuable lesson also for logistics.
“You cannot measure your success if you have never failed”, Steffi Graf, tennis player.
“What do you do with a mistake: you recognize it, you admit it, you learn from it and you forget it”. Dean Smith, basketball player and coach.
“There are only two options regarding engagement. You are in or you are out. There is no life in between.” Pat Riley, basketball player and coach.
“You have to play well the first 20 minutes and the last 70.” Sergio Markarian, soccer coach.
Victory
What is victory? Does only the first one win? What can we do to ensure victory? In this case, the answers will be very different depending on the athlete who stands in front of the microphone.
“The second is the first of the losers.” Ayrton Senna, Formula 1 driver.
“If you don’t have confidence, you will always find a way not to win.” Carl Lewis, athlete.
“When I go out, I have no mercy on my brother. I’m there to win.” Joe Frazier, boxer.
“Success is the place where preparation and opportunity meet.” Bobby Unser, racing driver.
“Victory is in having given your best. If you have given your best, you have won”. Billy Bowerman, track and field coach and co-founder of Nike.
“I don’t plan on ending up disappointed. We think about being really good and obviously we think about winning.” Gregg Troy, swim coach.
Make team
Team sports are a perfect demonstration of how much a well-oiled machine is more than the sum of its parts. And the same is true of logistics, in which the ability to work between different departments and companies is essential to achieve the desired results.
“No player is as good as all together.” Alfredo Di Stéfano, soccer player and coach.
“A team is like a good watch: if you lose a piece it’s still beautiful, but it doesn’t work the same anymore.” Rud Gullit, soccer player.
“The way a team plays as a whole is what determines its success. You can have the best bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together the team won’t be worth a dime.” Babe Ruth, baseball player.
“Ask not what your companions can do for you. Ask what you can do for your companions.” Magic Johnson, basketball player.
“American football is American football and talent is talent. But it’s the mentality of your team that makes the difference.” Robert Griffith III, American football player.
“A bad plan is better than no plan at all.” Frank Marshall, chess player.
Modesty
The triumphs of sport are an ideal breeding ground for the bad habit of pride to ferment. However, many of the best athletes in history have also been examples and defenders of humility, as an antidote to not believing ourselves immune to error. A valuable lesson also for logistics.
“You cannot measure your success if you have never failed”, Steffi Graf, tennis player.
“What do you do with a mistake: you recognize it, you admit it, you learn from it and you forget it”. Dean Smith, basketball player and coach.
“There are only two options regarding engagement. You are in or you are out. There is no life in between.” Pat Riley, basketball player and coach.
“You have to play well the first 20 minutes and the last 70.” Sergio Markarian, soccer coach.
Victory
What is victory? Does only the first one win? What can we do to ensure victory? In this case, the answers will be very different depending on the athlete who stands in front of the microphone.
“The second is the first of the losers.” Ayrton Senna, Formula 1 driver.
“If you don’t have confidence, you will always find a way not to win.” Carl Lewis, athlete.
“When I go out, I have no mercy on my brother. I’m there to win.” Joe Frazier, boxer.
“Success is the place where preparation and opportunity meet.” Bobby Unser, racing driver.
“Victory is in having given your best. If you have given your best, you have won”. Billy Bowerman, track and field coach and co-founder of Nike.
“I don’t plan on ending up disappointed. We think about being really good and obviously we think about winning.” Gregg Troy, swim coach.
Excellence
Talent, daily effort, victory, intelligence… These sections that we have seen are ingredients to try to achieve the recipe for excellence. Whether on or off the slopes, pursuing excellence must be part of our day to day.
“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to improve.” Pat Riley, basketball player and coach.
“What keeps me going is not winning, but the search to reach the potential within me as a coach and in my boys as jumpers.” Ron O’Brien, diving coach.
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