Cricket Charger Gets Prospect Theory

"When it's your day, make it special"

A mantra of kiwi, Brendon McCullum. Once brutal batsman now England coach who has transformed the mindset of the team. And results.

I recently detailed the mentality I believe the winning way of superstar sellers. Citing Prospect Theory. The context being a seasonal business with significant peak to manage.

In that hyper time targets are higher. Much so. Yet still beatable.

My advice was to keep driving through. When on a roll, keep rolling.

Ignore any natural tendency to hit your number, then coast.

When you're hot, be hot.

The extra you bring yourself will prove so good. For this bonus, as safety in the bank later, and your career at large.

The classic Kahneman/Tversky example I use plenty. New York cab drivers.

To get the theory in full, it is worth understanding their whole loss-aversion framework.

Yet to know that if your first fare of the day gives you what you must make to pay your bills in one go, do not do what most taxis then do, which is turn off their light and head home. The truly successful stay on shift.

I myself saw salespeople hit their number early and tune out. Even as cubrep I looked on thinking, 'that can't be right?'

I knew the supposed story of Ross Perot. He of failed Independent candidacy from the '92 American Presidential campaign. Ripping it up at the early IBM, he did his number for one year basically in Week One. Yet his bonus was capped. Rocked up in his swim trunks and sat back with his feet on the desk. His protest did not get his comp plan changed. So he left to found his own rival outfit, EDS. Where commercial garlands flowed.

With cricket, amid the fevered build up to The Ashes starting now Down Under, the motto was explained in the interview I read as bringing an urgency to move the game forward. Back yourself. Always apply pressure. Indeed, one of the early famed quotes from when he first took charge was - and remains - 'run towards danger'.

Throughout time in this test of mind and body of leather and willow, we for instance see a personal century scored. Only for the wicket to fall almost immediately. The greats go on. 'Daddy Hundreds', they've been called.

When we hit our own '100', that for us must also not be the cue to switch off. Make your day special too.