Two weeks ago I posted a blog (https://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/leadership-lessons-from-the-habs-amazing-victory-over-the-maple-leafs) on the Habs amazing come from behind victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal finished the regular season in 18th place. The team won only 24 of 56 games, the lowest seeded team to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This underachieving organization has now defeated three teams including one with one of the best records during the regular season. What can businesses learn from this remarkable success? Here are five lessons to be gleaned from this amazing underdog story.
1. Results Dictate whether an Organization has the Right Team in place
The Canadiens GM made some significant additions during last year’s off season. He added a top defenseman (Joel Edmonson), three top forwards (Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Corey Perry) and a high-quality goalie (Jake Allen) to back up Carey Price. The team started the year on fire and then had an uninspiring, mediocre season. A team that was constructed to make a deep run in the playoffs was on the verge of failing to qualify.
The GM then made more changes. He fired and replaced three coaches including the head coach. He went out and added another aging but quality forward (Eric Staal) and two more defensemen (Jon Merrill, Erik Gustafson, a power play specialist). Management also made some personnel changes for the Leafs playoff series. They benched the young centre, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and made limited use of the newly recruited defensemen. The Habs fell behind 3 games to one against the Leafs.
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