You're Never Too Far Behind To Come Back

I was watching the NY Jets vs the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game the other day.  In the end, the Jets lost and the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl. But, after being behind 24-3 at the half, the Jets came awfully close to actually winning the game. Pittsburgh's  margin of victory was less than a touchdown.

 

In the world of Accounts Receivable Management,  I often found myself against seemingly impossible odds. Quarterly DSO and/or cash goal targets appeared as goals in galaxies far far away.

 

Yet, my team often pulled through, performed the impossible and were able to achieve aggressive targets.

In one of my earlier blogs I referenced the art of celebration and its positive impact on team morale.

 

But, the circle of success is surrounded by other factors. Of course, without the right tools....you can tread water and not get anywhere no matter how hard you try.  Based on my own experiences, the right Cash Collections Software system was a vital issue in getting the job done.

 

Complementing an effective system is the human element...what motivates people to go beyond themselves?

 

During the Battle of Dunkirk, thousands of British soldiers were told that they were selected for not getting off and escaping to their home country.   Instead, they were told they've been selected to guard the perimeter of Dunkirk. They were ordered to hold out as long as possible, and surrender as the final resort (if they survived).    Sounds pretty demoralizing doesn't it? You'd have some serious morale issues in those companies..you'd think?

 

Actually the opposite happened.  Those guarding the perimeter felt an exhilaration of purpose and went well beyond the capacity of human beings to perform under the most terrifying circumstances.  Why?  These soldiers were communicated the nobility of their cause and understand they were part of something magnificent.

 

Don't we all want to be part of something magnificent ....a noble cause?  It would be shameful for me to have my collection team's heroics similarly compared to the heroics of the British at Dunkirk. We (in Collections) left the office in the evening to have dinners with our families, and no one shot at us during the day.

 

But, having a solid identity to a noble cause (getting in cash) allowed seemingly "average" folks to achieve the impossible.....time and again they went beyond themselves.   They felt themselves to be magnificent and were able to achieve aggressive targets time and again. No matter how far behind they were, they were never to far behind to come back.