Set the Table Before You Feast: The Hidden Work That Creates Champions

Everyone wants to talk about the win. They want to analyze the deal when it’s closed, the quarter when you crushed your number, or the moment you were handed the award. We glamorize the spotlight. We celebrate the feast.

But very few are willing to talk about the hours you spent setting the table.

I’ve spent nearly two decades in sales and leadership. I’ve won. I’ve lost. I’ve been at the top. I’ve been knocked down. And through all of it—through every pivot, promotion, reorg, territory swap, and blindside—I’ve come to understand something that’s rarely said out loud:

The most important work we do is the work nobody sees.

It’s the prep. The early mornings. The quiet nights. The emails that never get answered. The calls that go nowhere. The research. The rehearsal. The rewrites. It’s the landing before the leap.

That’s what sets the foundation for the win.

But it’s not flashy. It’s not a trending topic. Nobody’s handing out trophies for preparation. There’s no award for obsessively studying your customer’s 10-K or following every exec on LinkedIn or anticipating every single objection. But I can tell you this—those habits? They win.

Over the years, I’ve watched countless people self-sabotage because they wanted the reward before the ritual. They thought if they showed up to the meeting with confidence, that would be enough. They thought the relationships would build themselves. They thought charisma would close the deal.

But preparation always shows itself. It shows up in how you answer questions, in the references you make, in the trust you build without even trying. It shows up when your customer says, “You really understand us,” because you actually did the work to understand them.

Preparation isn’t a moment. It’s a mindset. It’s how you wire yourself to control the controllables—because so much of this journey is uncontrollable.

I’ve had a front-row seat to unfairness.

Jobs created for me that were handed to someone else. Roles promised and pulled. Customers I nurtured and grew suddenly reassigned to balance the business. High-performing sellers pulled off my team. I’ve been laid off. Twice. I’ve won awards and had my role eliminated just weeks later.

You can do everything right and still lose the round. That’s the reality. And it hurts—because you care. But caring is your superpower. Let it sting. And then let it sharpen you.

Because the ones who endure—the ones who go from setback to success—are the ones who treat every disruption not as a dismissal, but as a new deal to close. They pause. Take a breath. Look around at the new environment. Ask the right questions:

What’s the playing field now? What does it take to win here? What levers can I pull? What strengths can I double down on?

That’s the difference. Not giving up. Not staying bitter. Not replaying the loss a thousand times. But shifting gears, recalculating, and stepping forward with intention.

Sometimes, the difference between the ones who make it and the ones who don’t has nothing to do with talent or intelligence. Sometimes it comes down to how resourceful someone is when everything changes. It comes down to how willing they are to sit with discomfort. To own their mistakes. To adapt their approach. To stay humble enough to ask for help and hungry enough to implement it.

At this point in my life and career, I don’t chase titles. I don’t obsess over visibility. I chase growth. I chase relationships that make me better. I chase challenges that force me to evolve. Because those things make me more effective for my customers, for my team, and for my family.

If you want to win, start by asking yourself: Who or what do I need in order to actually get better?

Do I need a mentor who will call me out? Do I need to spend more time studying my accounts? Do I need to build a better system for follow-up? Do I need to become more coachable? More curious? More disciplined?

Find the answer. And then go all in.

Invest in the people around you. Help them win. Because the more you pour into others, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you grow. And the more you grow, the more you can withstand the inevitable chaos that comes with chasing anything meaningful.

It’s normal to feel thrown off by change. It’s human to be disappointed when something doesn’t go the way you planned. But if you’re still in the game—if you’re still being dealt hands—then you’re still in control of how you respond.

And how you respond is everything.

The journey isn’t linear. It’s not supposed to be. And sometimes, your biggest step forward comes disguised as a step back. But every time I’ve dusted myself off, turned to face the new challenge, and asked, “What’s next?”—I’ve found a new path to impact. A new play to run. A new win to chase.

That’s what it means to set the table. It’s not just about preparing for one meal. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can build a feast from scratch, again and again—no matter how many times the menu changes.

You don’t need a map. You don’t need a miracle.

You need a mindset. You need a system. You need to keep showing up.

You know what you need to do.

Do it.

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