An article for business professionals - November 15, 2006
Written by Jan Bolick
A little hop may get me off the log, but what's going to
Keep Me Hopping?
Imagine a football field with no goalposts.
No yard lines.
No score board.
No time clock.
That’s perfect for the game we play in the front yard on Thanksgiving Day.
But what if your favorite high school, college or professional team went out to play on that same unmarked, unaccessorized field?
And what if there were no positions or plays?
No coaches.
No time outs or halftime.
No fans.
No band.
No cheerleaders or pompons.
No stat sheets or video to review.
How will anyone on or off the field know how the team is doing, what to do about it and how much time is left to do it?
It happens a lot though, doesn't it? On the field and off - in buildings everywhere. People running into; running away from; even blocking and tackling their own teammates - blaming lack of performance on lack of time, direction or support.
Football teams can't control a lot of things like the size of the field or the minutes in a game or the shape of the ball or number of players allowed on the field.
What they can control is their use of "the system", more elaborate as the stakes increase from Turkey Day Bowl to Super Bowl. But even so, there is still only a 50/50 chance. Only one team wins. The other one loses - sometimes in the final seconds.
We are lucky that most of our goals aren’t locked into this 50/50, all or nothing sentence. We can miss a goal but make progress and still feel like winners. And there can be multiple winners!
But it is certain that there will be more progress whenever goal seekers can answer "yes" to these questions:
Is there a goal post?
Does everyone (players, coaches & fans) know where it is?
Do the players know how to score?
Do they know the actions (like passing, running and kicking) needed to score?
Do they practice these actions?
Are there yardlines, a scoreboard and a time clock for quick and easy checks on progress to goal?
Is someone keeping stats?
Is anyone cheering or coaching?
Are they doing it frequently – not just at the end if the goal is made?
Are there back up plans?
Is there frequent and final review of results, stats and overall performance?
A "yes" to all of these questions means the formula for success is in place for setting and achieving goals.
1. Clearly define the goal.
2. Break it into small, measurable parts.
3. Monitor progress.
4. Plan for setbacks.
5.Cheer all along the way.
6. Evaluate performance throughout and at the end.
I encourage you to read below for more detail about each element of the formula.
Then if there is a goal you’d like to achieve - something you really, really want to achieve - break it into small, measurable parts, post a score board, recruit a cheerleader or two and then jump in.
Or try a little hop*.
Then keep measuring, monitoring and cheering.
That will keep you hopping.
*Subject of most recent article: Little Hops
Setting and Achieving Goals
A Formula for Success
1 The primary goal in a football game is clearly defined: to win the game.
Teams and fans often have auxiliary goals, many of which are determined by the league in which their team plays. On Thanksgiving Day, I want to win, have fun, not do a face plant on the driveway after catching a miraculous touchdown pass; but mostly I want to burn off the stuffing and pie I ate so that I can eat more. Last week, our high school team was seeking to bring home the Hodgin Cup; my favorite college team was hoping to come back alive and my two favorite NFL teams (one a favorite by marriage, the other by heritage) would love a re-match at The Super Bowl.
2 To make the goal of winning, the team must score.
To do that –they must make touchdowns or field goals or extra points or safeties.
To do that – they must run, pass and/or kick the ball down the 100 yard field and then over or through the correct goal line or goal post.
To do that, they have to travel at least ten yards in four plays (or downs) or they lose the ball and then its their turn to keep the other team from scoring.
The goal of winning is clearly broken into smaller, measurable parts like points, passes, kicks, runs, blocks, tackles, interceptions, yards and downs. And it all has to be done within forty minutes of playing time which is divided into twenty minute halves, which are divided into ten minute quarters.
3 Most of these measurements are posted on the scoreboard. All of them are tracked on the stat sheet in great detail. Passes thrown are divided into the number caught, the number intercepted and the resulting percentages . The length of each pass is recorded and totaled in each category. For each player and for the team as a whole. For the opposing team too.
Spectators and players monitor the scoreboard constantly –cheering or wringing their hands accordingly. Coaches too, also relying heavily on the stat sheets to devise and revise strategy during the game.
4 Teams that win the most, are best prepared for setbacks - having back up players and plays and plans for any "what if" imaginable. And they are skilled at the efficient use of strategically placed time outs to put the back ups in place or to simply take a much needed rest.
5 Players cheer from the sidelines. Coaches too. Then there is the band, the cheerleaders, and the fans. They cheer throughout the game while winning AND while losing. Celebration continues in the locker room and in the news.
6 Win or lose, coaches and players review the stats and game video in great detail, looking for what went well and not so well. The results of this evaluation shape the actions, activities and strategies for the next week - at practice and on game day.
Business Class Inc
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Performance =
Potential - Interference
"The journey
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single step."
Chinese Proverb
Recent articles:
Little Hops
The Dimming Fire
Coming soon:
"Hopping or Hoping?"
"Traditions"
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