How to beat the system
Why systems keep winning in spite of talented opposition
First, let me start by saying that I am no serious football fan. I find myself far too busy to enjoy the weekend mental escape that is the NFL. However, I cannot help but find myself watching that largest of spectacles on this Sunday evening. That’s right, the super bowl is upon us. But alas, there is a lesson in tonights game that most may overlook as they ask themselves, “how could this game unfold the way it did?”.
I will start at the beginning. Even though I am no serious football fan, I am aware of the New England Patriots’ perceived status as an institution in the football world. A well seasoned coach, a star quarterback who has been here before, and a cast of role players that are almost conceived to play the game the way the Patriots do.
What I witnessed tonight was not just a clash of a few talented well paid individuals, but the triumph of a system over a grouping of individuals. As the seconds rolled by on the clock, you could almost feel the difference in how these two teams reacted to the pressure and scale of the stage they occupied. It is as if these two teams are wired completely differently. This is because, they are.
The reason why the Patriots seem to be unstoppable (in all but the 1st and 2nd quarters) is because not only have they been here before, but they function as a unit that has been here before. It is almost as if the prefect microcosm of the events unfolding on the world stage were reproduced perfectly this Sunday evening.
We all witnessed what we thought was a come back, when in fact, it was simply one group of highly coordinated, experienced people doing what they do best. Functioning as a system.
Lets highlight some memorable moments from the game. First a wide receiver from Atlanta made one of the best catches I have ever seen during an NFL game. As he reached for the ball at the end of a long throw, spread eagle, flying through the air to grasp the ball and with an almost perfect precision, elegantly tailing both feet behind to touch just within the line for the completion, I thought wow, he sure is amazingly talented, that was as a sight to behold.
Lets compare this to a catch made by a patriots receiver just a few minutes after. The ball is thrown into tight coverage with three defenders swarming on the ball, it bounces oddly off of the body of an Atlanta defender, the receiver makes not one but two grabs at the ball, eventually wrestling it off of the foot of an Atlanta defender to capture it one inch from the ground. It was a good catch, indeed, but it sure wasn’t nearly as pretty as the diving Atlanta receiver’s beautiful swan dive.
This is the perfect embodiment of the contrast between the discipline and focus of the Patriot team and the Atlanta team. The Patriots do not simply win based on beautiful displays of talent and athleticism, but on a system that values playing ones role with discipline and never giving up.
As the clock rolled down on tonights game during the 3rd and 4th quarters, you could see this discipline manifest itself in the near flawless execution of passes and catches by the New England team to tie up, and finally, win the game in overtime. None of these passes and catches were particularly beautiful, nor did they require someone with talent outside of the normal scope of NFL players. It was a system of people, plays, and organization that won the day.
With that said, there still exists the question: How does one beat a system, when that system is polished and perfected throughout years of practice and other accumulative advantage? Can raw talent and focus on the self as a part of a unit suffice?
No! No, it cannot.
The most common tack to attempting to defeat a system is to try to dismantle that system by picking away at its parts as individual components. This, of course, leads to nothing but instructing the system on how to better equip itself for higher availability. Ensuring that the next attempt to eschew one of its tentacles is swiftly thwarted.
Another approach is to simply rely on standout individuals. The so called, “hero” strategy. This of course fails because your eggs are in a single, far too small basket. Although there may be times where this succeeds, no one would argue that betting on a long shot on such a big stage is at all intelligent. Systems are leviathans that overwhelm you as they continue to sprout heads to defeat you.
The final type of approach is to simply force yourself to believe that you can do it. The old “hope” strategy. This does not change the effectiveness of the system you are facing, but tricks you into a sense of false empowerment. You know deep inside you are not equipped to thwart the system, yet you try anyway, meet your limit, and fold.
None of these approaches would have helped this ill equipped Atlanta team triumph over the weight and precision focus of the New England team.
The only way to defeat a system, is to build a better system. One free from the chains of placing self accomplishment over the accomplishment of the team. One free from the distractions of spectacle. A system that values only one thing above all else, its collective and effective main function or goal.
In all of my years in the tech world as a professional witnessing company after company betray this lesson, in all my time as a member of a distinct community that bares so much talent yet seems to collectively achieve so little, I cannot help but do my best to share this insight as a lesson to us all.
Look around yourself and understand the systems you are a part of and what systems determine your fate. Resolve to understand how these systems function and build your 2.0. Do understand that every single cog in the wheel must know and value its position. Your goal should not be to highlight your brilliance in a vacuum, but to elevate everyone in the systems you inhabit so you can ascend to great heights together and reach the mountain top.
