STAY IN THE GAME: GETTING BACK TO GROWING YOUR ORGANIZATION!

When I was in high school, I played tennis. My beloved Coach Swan always told us, "The key to winning is to decide to win, see the angle of the ball coming toward you, position yourself, and follow through all the way to the finish. Twist your body and complete the full swing, from the starting point to finishing point. Or if the ball is heading out do then do nothing. It's beyond your scope of concern and perhaps even your capacity to allow the ball to go out and win the point." The key takeaway is to be intentional about your decision for a course of action and then complete the action. And this is how you stay in the game. But let's explore something to keep us on our growth track.

Just like in tennis, we sometimes fail to focus. We are in an awkward position and force ourselves to take a swing at the wrong angle or the wrong time. Or we have completely missed sight of the ball. We put a lot of mental and physical energy toward a miscalculated step. We try our best. But the hard truth is that sometimes our best misses the point. When this happens, we must recall our vision, identify our objective, and work until the tasks are complete.

What could be described as a failure is also an opportunity for greater expansion. But you have to get back in the game. Correct your vision and see it through to the end.

COMMITTING TO THE VISION THAT WAS CAST: Maybe you didn't have a clear vision. Or the vision was clear; we just didn't fully commit to it. These are two different points of misstep. Either way the vision was honored. We made a decision not to hold clarity and commitment as a priority. Rather the option was fear, the familiar, or someone else's fantasy. Making such a choice reinforces our smallness and comforts around invisibility. Often these steps are leading us down the path of 'not yet'. To win the point we must make the decision to take the most appropriate step. In order to do just that it's necessary to remember our "why", see ourselves as fully capable, and understand our environment and current context.

In tennis, having the ability to see the angle from which the ball is approaching gives you the opportunity to envision the angle to which you need to hit the ball. It's about seeing so that you can react by positioning yourself to win. This is the purpose of vision casting. This vision casting requires the ability to see what is happening in real time and imagine what could be. And it happens in a split second in tennis. In our work we often have time to reflect--time to consider and reconsider. But ultimately we must cast the vision and commit to it.

Consider the Following

Are we paying attention to what is? Are we engaging our imagination into what could be as a result of our efforts? Is our understanding of the vision so clear that we can communicate it to others? And are you consistently communicating it to others? Reciting the vision helps to keep yours on the prize.

Final Thought

So, dear friends I implore you to reconsider what exactly is the vision? What is the action associated with that vision? The goal here is clarification. You and others need to be clear about your vision.

Vision guides our decision as we identify our objectives.

DECISION OVERLOAD: Have you given yourself too many options? Objectives will guide the options available for the paths that you pursue. Objectives help you focus on decisions that matter most and the actions to prioritize. In tennis there's three options for action: forehand swing, backhand swing, or hold still. Selecting an action requires analyzing the context of your situation while keeping in mind the desired destination. It allows you to be intentional about how to invest your resources.

Consider the Following

Is your objective clear and written down? Do you fully understand your context? Can you see the opportunities and limitations of this moment? Do you not have enough resources to pursue the best options? Or you must consider the next best option? Are these actions aligning with your desired outcome?

Final Thought

We have to think about our options. Some options aren't real or feasible options. Those no brainers that will clearly lead you away from your goals. Consider that not all steps are the best to take at this time. We don't even need to entertain those options. They aren't worth our time and attention. rather reduce your available options to two or three possibilities. And think them through all possible scenarios.

You might not have met your objective because you didn't finish the action. Perhaps the action wasn't clearly identified. Perhaps you weren't clear on your intended results, so you stopped short of the imagined (not defined) goal.

NOT FINISHING THE FINISH:

You can arrive at the end of things and simply stop. The end date arrived. The event occurred. In tennis it is not good enough just to hit the ball and allow your body to do whatever feels natural. Hitting the ball doesn't mean we can relax. The swing must be completed. No finish the finish. Complete all the boxes on the check list. Execute all the tasks that were outlined and tie up all of the loose ends and adjustments that had to be made along the way. Finishing the finish is all about the mind, eye, and hand coordinating at the right time and for the right duration of time. Complete the swing. Exhaust the energy required for the action. It's a matter of being an assiduous administrator as you lead the organization through the activity or initiative. Take lead in getting it done. Completely done.

Consider the Following

What does completion look like for you? Have you held on to the vision, drafted the objective, isolated the best options and carried out the actions to their completion? Not just done but finished. So. What does your finish include? Does it make sense to collect any data, conduct follow-up conversations, send out thank cards, take time to draft notes from a debrief meeting and actually file them among other planning notes to be used for the future. So many organizations operate from a linear project perspective. Without consideration that the end is the beginning of the next things, they consider each event as an isolated occasion. Yet, we know that all things work together for the good of the whole. Planning and executing is a cyclical process.

Finishing the finish is good for the whole of the organization and its evolution. Learning from experience and applying the wisdom and understanding gained to future activities is smart. The finish of one project is the foundation for the start of another project. It is at this point that the weaving change in the world occurs.

Final Thought

Create your completion standards of operation. It's important to have some indicators of completion outside of submissions timelines, dates on a calendar, or the conclusion of an event. Outlining a check list helps to establish a standardized process for your system of finishing.

Don't give up!

Ultimately getting back in the game involves remembering and recasting your vision. It's important to recite and recommit to the finish of the win. Be clear about your objective and make firm decisions for which action is most appropriate for the goal. Define your finish. Your finish is a reflection of your expectations, standards, and values. It illustrates the integrity of the organization. Establish your finish and then finish your finish.