Norton: When big-time players make big-time plays at home and at work
The Olympic Games rarely disappoint.
Sure, there are moments that make you shake your head. A call you disagree with. A comment from a broadcaster that makes you wonder if the microphone should’ve been unplugged. But despite the occasional cringe-worthy moment, what keeps us watching are the big-time plays made by big-time players.
World records fall. Olympic records fall. And we sit there on our couches, snacks in hand, marveling at the incredible display of human discipline, persistence, strength, strategy, and endurance that unfolds before us every two years.
It’s the best of the best doing what they’ve trained their entire lives to do. And when the moment arrives, we expect the big-time players to make big-time plays.
We’ve all seen them.
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The one-handed, gravity-defying catch in football. The diving snag in baseball or softball that somehow ends up in the glove. The golfer draining a 30-foot putt when everything is on the line. The buzzer-beater in basketball that sends an arena into absolute chaos.
Sometimes these moments happen on the world’s biggest stages. And sometimes, if you played sports growing up, they happened in a packed high school gym where the scoreboard buzzed, and the entire student section lost its mind.
But what makes sports so fun isn’t just the expected heroics from the superstars.
It’s when someone unexpected rises up in the biggest moment.
The rookie. The backup. The athlete nobody outside the locker room knew. And suddenly, boom, they deliver the play of the game. Instant legend.
What’s fascinating is that this same phenomenon happens far beyond the playing field. Big-time plays happen every day at work. Think about the people you know who quietly deliver when it matters most.
The engineer who solves the problem that nobody else could crack. The finance leader who finds a way to make the numbers work when everyone else thought the deal was dead. The operations manager, who somehow manages to get the product shipped on time despite a dozen obstacles. The salesperson who lands the client that everyone else thought was out of reach.
No celebration parade. No confetti falling from the ceiling. Just another big-time play made by a big-time player.
And if we’re honest, these moments happen just as often at home.
The parent who keeps a promise to their child, even after an exhausting day at work. The sibling who steps in to defend a brother or sister when it matters most. The grandchild who sits with their grandparent simply to listen and keep them company, while their friends are off doing something “more exciting.”
That’s a big-time play.
So is the spouse who tackles the home project everyone else has been avoiding for six months … and somehow makes it look like it came straight out of a home improvement show.
Big-time players. Big-time plays.
What’s funny is that most of these people don’t think of themselves that way. They’re just doing what needs to be done. Showing up. Following through. Delivering when others are counting on them.
But if you step back and look at it differently, the world is full of these moments. At work. At home. In families. In communities. Every day, people step up, solve problems, keep promises, encourage others, and do the right thing when it would be easier not to.
Those are big-time plays.
And here’s the encouraging part. You don’t have to be an Olympian, a professional athlete, or a headline performer to make them. You just have to be willing to step into the moment. To prepare. To care. To show up when it matters most. Because the truth is, the world is full of big-time players making big-time plays.
Many of them are sitting in offices, kitchens, living rooms, and conference rooms right now. And if you think about it for a minute…, you might be one of them too.
And the next big play? It might happen today.
As always, I would love to hear your big-time play story at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when we realize that when we care, when we show up, when we put others first, our big-time plays will always lead to creating a better-than-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager, and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
