Last week, the New York Yankees basically handed the World Series title to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a meltdown for the ages. They were cruising along with a 5-point lead going into the fifth inning, but by the time the third out rolled around, the game was tied. All thanks to a stunning collapse that started when Yankees superstar Aaron Judge flubbed a routine fly ball to center. The replay doesn't lie - Judge took his eye off the ball, peeked at the runner rounding first, and it glanced right off his glove. And that was only the beginning. Error after error, miscue after miscue, the Yankees completely fell apart. It's especially shocking because Judge had gone long just moments before and was being hailed as "Mr. October" by the broadcast crew.
So, what in the world does this have to do with painting or our core values at CPV? Well, a lot, as it turns out. You might have heard that Netflix recently made waves by sending an internal memo declaring that their employees aren't a family - they're a team. A championship team, to be exact. And there's a big difference. You're stuck with your family, but a team is something you earn a spot on. A team requires coaching, development, and a constant push to improve. When one player slips up, the whole team feels it. Now, the rest of the memo gets brutal, so I won't dive into that. But the point is, the best businesses in the world - the ones that dominate their market - operate like championship teams. When someone messes up or doesn't live up to the shared values, everyone feels the pain. There's grace and forgiveness for people who are hungry to learn and grow, but if someone's not willing to put in the work, the team culture will push them out. It might sound a little harsh, but that's the reality of doing business in America. We're a competitive, capitalist society, and companies have to perform to stay ahead. We push each other to get better, develop our skills, and crush our goals. When someone stumbles, we rally around them and get them back on track. But when someone's attitude holds them back, the team can't afford to keep them around.
Aaron Judge is going to be okay, by the way. The guy's a superstar for a reason - he knows how to bounce back from adversity. One error isn't going to define him. The Yankees will be back on top in no time, and the fans will forget all about this heartbreaking loss. I believe CPV is one of the best painting outfits in the world, just like the Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball. So let's own it. Let's live those values every single day and see where it takes us. The sky's the limit. Let's go!
Authored By: Steve Wright
