Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
It’s called the Sweet Sixteen – the first of three alliterative names in the March Madness road to an NCAA basketball championship. How’s that bracket looking?
Sunstone Challenge
I hope that you are playing the Sunstone Way Bracket Challenge. I’m not going to tell you exactly how I’m doing, but you know I typically do well.
Anyone who’s close to me once all is said and done has a chance at some fun prizes – think basketball! I’m not sure exactly what the odds are for you actually beating me, but you can bet they are higher than the Colorado State Rams taking the title.
My pick to win it all, Duke, is still in the hunt. How about yours?
One And Done
This type of tournament is tough on the nerves. It is a single elimination bracket, which means one loss and you go home.
We’ve just watched four days of amazing basketball through the first two rounds. Sixty-eight teams – four teams were eliminated in the First Four games earlier last week – have been paired down to 16.
There are two more rounds of games this weekend, paring down the field to the Elite Eight, then the Final Four. For some of the lesser-known teams, just making it to the Sweet Sixteen is an accomplishment to brag about. For the elite teams, getting to the Final Four is the only definition of a successful season.
Don’t Forget the Women
So far, the women’s tournament has followed the same schedule. There is a Sweet Sixteen group of teams ready to play this weekend, and for the second time, the interest and media coverage is up there on a par with the men’s tournament.
That’s particularly true in Southern California, where both of the highly ranked teams for Los Angeles remain in the hunt. My alma mater, the University of Southern California, won the Big Ten Conference regular season title this year, and made it through what has been regarded as the toughest region in the tournament to get here.
UCLA, which beat USC to win the Big Ten tournament after losing to them twice in the regular season, is the number one overall seed and has played like it. Should the teams both win two more games this coming weekend, they would meet in the Final Four semi-final.
Why We Care
Why do I talk so much about March Madness? First, because it is fun.
Following the brackets allows us to participate, even if it is vicarious. Rooting for our team is a great way to engage.
Watching college kids play their hearts out is fun, emotional and sometimes inspirational. In my mind, basketball is the epitome of a team game, where everyone on the court has to do their job and more in order to succeed. That’s a great model for a successful business, and it is particularly fitting for us here at Sunstone.
We have to have great talent, just like the best basketball teams. We have to do what we do with passion – a controlled passion where we use our talents for the very best result. We have to know what our goals are, and do everything we can to reach those goals, without letting up.
A Larger View
One of the most revered heroes of college basketball, Coach John Wooden, led the UCLA men’s team to an unprecedented 19 conference titles and 10 national championships. Yet even he said the character traits he advocated and taught were more important in life than in basketball.
As part of his famous Pyramid of Success, Wooden said this:
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
Be the best you can be, and you will not only help those around you, but find peace of mind as well. That’s the Sunstone Way.
And remember, always be a Sunstone.
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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