One of my favorite movie quotes is from a film called Miracle. If you’ve seen that movie, you know it’s about the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team, a team that was comprised of a bunch of college-age boys who were given no chance as they entered Lake Placid, NY in the Olympics. They ended up stunning the world by taking gold.
The scene that’s my favorite scene is the night when the U.S. is getting ready to play the Soviets. The U.S. coach, Herb Brooks, who’s played by Kurt Russell, gives what I consider the greatest pre-game speech. He says this, “Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight. One game. If we played them 10 times, they’d probably win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them because we can, and we shut them down. Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world.”
He goes on, but as I’ve seen that clip probably about 50 times I am always impressed with the influence that a great coach can have on their teams. In my opinion, great coaches know their players. They know their weaknesses, they know their strengths. Great coaches know how to cast vision, and great coaches get their players to accomplish things that maybe they never even dreamt of.
I find there are a lot of similarities when it comes to coaching as there are when it comes to financial advising. Those same traits, I believe great financial advisors know their clients, and they know their clients by how they ask questions. And maybe more importantly how they listen to those answers. Great financial advisors know how to cast vision. They know how to come alongside their clients and help them accomplish their dreams and goals.
So, in this brief Bench Talk, I want to leave you with three questions to ponder. As it pertains to your financial plan, number one, what’s your vision? Two, what are your dreams? And thirdly, have you shared that with anyone? I’m absolutely convinced, whether it’s in the athletic arena or the financial planning arena, a great coach can make all the difference.
