Hey Coach, what’s the game plan?

Tonight is the first pre-season game for the Cleveland Browns and I have to admit, as an avid sports fan I’m pretty excited.  A lot of moves and changes in the organization have set in motion what die-hard fans hope is the beginning of a new era; a season of more wins than losses; a renewed pride in the team and a winning mentality.

Great teams need great players, great coaches and a game plan. A game plan? Go figure. You need a strategy for accomplishing your objectives? You need a plan for winning? No, DUH! You sure do.

Imagine a team without a game plan. Let’s use the Browns for an example. Players take the field and get ready for the opening kick-off, the referee signals to start the clock and we are underway. BUT with no plan, no one knows what to do, where to go, what their role is, who they’re supposed to cover, where they’re supposed to run – basically you have total chaos. Not exactly a winning strategy. And you know what they say, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else!” You need one plan, one playbook, everyone singing from the same page and the flexibility to make changes to stay on target.

It’s the same for your business. What’s your plan? Have you shared it with your team members? Does everyone know where the business is headed? Do they all know their specific roles in your forward progress? Do you have buy in from everyone? Do you have a good system of communication to let your team know of any changes to the plan? Do you have checks and balances to track how the plan is working? Do you have the flexibility to change the plan if it’s veering you off course?

Repeat – great teams need great players, great coaches and a game plan. Make sure that your team knows what goal to aim for – because if you aim at nothing, it’s a sure hit every time.

Posted by MJ Thomas