Last week, while waiting at the airport, I picked up a copy of Malcolm Gladwell's most recent book David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Battling of Giants. Just as I have with his others, I really like this book. He tells a good story, but more importantly, he asks interesting questions and makes arguments that inject a little extra elasticity into the brain. Gladwell makes you think in different ways and challenge assumptions - one of the critical skills we talk about for our graduates.
Speaking of underdogs, I must admit being surprised at receiving some incredible news on Saturday. I was at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver with almost all of the Heads and Board Chairs from the major independent schools in Canada. We were there for the annual conference of CAIS schools. Having just finished hearing from Canadian Olympic gold and silver medal-winning triathlete Simon Whitfield about the power of "getting the work done" and "doing the hard yards", I received an e-mail informing me that our varsity boys soccer team had just won the national championship title at the CAIS tournament in Halifax. You can imagine that I was immediately beaming with pride while also trying to figure out how, at a meeting of schools heads, one can most appropriately "win with class". (We all have teams we like to see lose, not so much because of the players or coaches, but because their fans who are so obnoxious when they win.)
Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of the boys and their coaches for the victory.
In David & Goliath, Gladwell takes on the assumption that the outcome of the epic biblical battle was so unexpected as to have been an act of God. Indeed, he outlines numerous other examples of underdogs whose victories - in sports, medicine, social justice, war, etc. - were equally shocking to anyone in the know because the odds were so stacked against them. But Gladwell goes on to analyze each of these cases and paints a compelling argument that these outcomes could have reasonably been expected.
In the case of David and Goliath, the military strategy of the day included three key elements: heavy infantry (of which Goliath was a prototype), cavalry, and projectile warriors (archers and slingers like David). And like the game rock - paper - scissors, each was effective in its own way against one of the others. Slingers were particularly effective against heavy infantry. (Think also Henry V and Agincourt.) So, while in a one-on-one battle between heavy infantrymen, David would have been like a baby seal taking on a polar bear, in a longer range setting, a heavily armoured, slow moving soldier would have no chance against an expert slinger.
Gladwell's core message is that underdogs can reverse the tables on the favourites by changing the nature of the competition ... by creatively using assets that may not be the traditional hallmarks of great champions. If you are over matched, there is no point trying to take on your opponents in the traditional way. Rather, it is time to be a creative problem-solver and lever the advantages you have in a non-traditional manner. He gives a great range of examples, including the use of the full-court press in basketball.
Our soccer team is a tremendous group but, truth be told, they were not among the favourites going into the national tournament. However, one enduring lesson of sports from high school to many levels above, is that the combination of hustle and great team chemistry can usually overcome even a significant skill deficit. While the Appleby squad may not be one of the top skill teams in the nation, they are still a strong side.What I love most is that our boys came together with a work ethic across a full game and a strong interpersonal connection throughout the team that led them to this wonderful achievement.
Congratulations Varsity Boys Soccer. All of Appleby is tremendously proud of you!. I have also posted some photos from the tournament in my slide show on this blog.
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