The Biggest Move in Your Career Will Come From the Small Thing You Nearly Didn’t Do
Shoot Your Shot
I’m writing this an hour before dashing out the door for The Ashes at the Gabba.
If you’re not into cricket, that probably sounds like I’m off to watch a building burn down. Maybe you’ve never heard of The Ashes at all. Maybe your understanding of cricket stops at “that odd sport where they stop for tea.”
Here’s the bit most people miss.
The most iconic rivalry in cricket started from a journalist mucking around.
In 1882, England played Australia at The Oval. On home soil, England had never lost to Australia. Everyone assumed it would be a routine win.
Then Australia won. It was a total shock.
Reginald Shirley Brooks, a journalist at The Sporting Times, could have filed another dry match report.
Instead, he borrowed inspo from the obituary section of the paper and wrote this:
“In Affectionate Remembrance of English Cricket, which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882, deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R.I.P.
N.B. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
It was a joke. In Australia, we call this a “piss-take” and probably an article he could have talked himself out of writing.
Some English women read this mock obituary and decided to take it literally.
They burnt a bail, placed the ashes in a tiny urn, and presented it to the English captain, Ivo Bligh.
That little urn became The Ashes.
More than 140 years later, it’s still cricket’s most coveted prize because one man didn’t delete the silly idea.
Here’s what I love about this story:
Most people underestimate the power of small moves. A handful of words, written quickly, became a tradition that’s outlived every person involved. Most of us underestimate what our words can do. But the right words, at the right moment, with the right twist, can create traditions that last centuries. Where are you underestimating the impact of something small you could say today?
There’s a hidden advantage sitting in the gaps between worlds: Brooks didn’t invent anything new. He brought in a new lens, borrowed from another section of the newspaper and mashed these two worlds together. Mashups are one of the most underused strategic levers in business. Look at what Louis Vuitton did with Pharrell to turn a legacy fashion house into a cultural engine. Formula 1 reinvented itself globally by fusing racing with reality TV storytelling in Drive to Survive. In the workplace, companies like HubSpot run internal events that feel more like TED meets a music festival than a corporate town hall. What’s one concept from outside your field that you could borrow to make your work instantly more interesting?
And then there’s the other pattern everyone ignores…
People don’t act.
Which brings me to a story I’ve never forgotten.
The message I nearly didn’t send
A few years ago, I’d splurged on a private box at the cricket for the Australia vs West Indies Test.
That morning, while getting ready, a thought popped into my head:
“How great would it be to meet Justin Langer today?”
He’s one of my cricket heroes. Oh, and we’re both left-handed. I’d listened to a podcast about his leadership philosophy and walked away with even more respect for him.
He was commentating that match.
So I opened LinkedIn and typed a message.
“Hey Justin, I’m at the ground today. Any chance you could pop over between commentary stints for a quick chat?”
Then my brain kicked in.
“This is ridiculous.”
“He’ll never see it.”
“Don’t be that person.”
But there was zero downside and infinite upside, so I hit send.
Later that afternoon….
Omg…
THE Justin Langer walks over to our box!
We chatted for 15 minutes about his meditation practice, how he literally grounds himself before a game (shoes off, walking the pitch), and his philosophy about the power of simplicity.
Also: I almost didn’t send that message.
I stared at my phone thinking, “This is ridiculous.”
If he didn’t reply, no harm done.
If he showed up? Life moment achieved.
Most of us talk ourselves out of the ask before we even try.
Shoot your shot.
🌴 Leanne “Send the Message Anyway” Hughes
P.S. If you enjoyed reading any part of this, hit the heart 💙 It helps more curious humans find these stories, and it honestly makes my day.
P.S. Alan Weiss and I will be talking about doing hard things for our next Talk the Walk livestream on 10 Dec 4pm ET / 11 Dec 7am AEST. Here’s the link to RSVP.
"Shooting your shot". Indeed.
The *first* project I ever sold that had a pricetag of more than $10k was to a client where I sat and talked her through my methodology (yes, that was my approach back then). We hit an awkward silence. She then said, "Andrew, are you actually going to sell me the work?"
I'd neglected to shoot my shot. I did, and she was a happy client for years.