This week, I went back to see Dr. Robichaux to have the stitches removed from my left thumb after trigger finger surgery.

The appointment went exactly as planned.

Dr. Robichaux examined my hand, removed the stitches, told me everything looked great, and reminded me to take it easy for another week before returning to normal activities.

It was quick, professional, and uneventful.

Then, just before he walked out, I remembered something we’d talked about while he was repairing my thumb.

“Did you watch the England-Argentina match?” I asked.

It was like flipping on a light switch.

The same doctor who had been all business a few seconds earlier suddenly became a soccer fan.

He smiled and told me he and his grandson, James, had flown to Atlanta to watch the World Cup semifinal in person. Dr. Robichaux is a big Lionel Messi fan, so there wasn’t much doubt who they were pulling for.

Then he shared something that has stayed with me.

England scored first to take a 1-0 lead.

Doc said he and James could see England’s attacking players warming up along the sideline. They looked at each other and figured England was about to send in fresh legs and try to put the match away.

Instead, England made defensive substitutions.

He smiled and said, “That’s when I thought Argentina had a real chance.”

He explained that England had stopped trying to win the match and had started trying not to lose it.

Argentina never stopped attacking.

They tied the match late.

Then they scored the winner in stoppage time.

Doc just smiled.

“That coach may be in real trouble.”

When I got back to my office, I found myself thinking about how often I’ve seen that happen in business.

Over the years, I’ve watched companies finally have a good year. They land a big customer, build a solid reputation, or find themselves leading the pack.

Then their mindset changes.

Instead of asking, “How do we keep getting better?” they start asking, “How do we make sure we don’t lose what we’ve got?”

They stop calling on new customers because they’re busy taking care of the ones they already have.

They quit looking for better ways to do things.

They’re no longer trying to build the business.

They’re trying to protect it.

Meanwhile, somebody else is still hungry.

Still improving.

Still looking for the next opportunity.

Before long, the company that was once leading is wondering how someone else passed them by.

Whether it’s sports or business, it’s amazing how often we change the very things that put us in the lead.

I went to have a few stitches removed.

I came back with something else to think about.

As Best As I Remember It.