Vision roadBlocks
Once we have our vision defined, written, and articulated the toughest step is still yet to come... Implementation. Without successfully implementing our vision it is yet to become a reality. We must take the final step to get our words off paper and put them into action. In order to implement an action we must also be aware of where we will find resistance and identify the potential roadblocks we may face. Through our research with coaches all around the world we have identified some of the common "Vision Road Blocks" that could potentially stand in your way to making your program's vision a reality. Here are 6 potential roadblocks to watch out for: #1 - Our next connection (with someone/anyone/everyone in our program). How will we establish that next connection, why aren’t we getting that connection, how intentional am I being at creating that next connection? Remember, it’s not enough to go the “the wheel” of the Human Component once, it’s an all-season event. Every. Single. Day. Leaving our next connection up to chance can be extremely dangerous and a lazy habit to develop. Regardless of how difficult that connection may be to make we MUST be intentional with our connections and collisions that occur between those in our program. #2 - Alignment of our vision - with all stakeholders. Are we all on the same page working towards a common mission? Alignment within our staff, from coaches to players, from player to player, from various levels within our program (youth to MS to HS & beyond) from admin to coach, from coach to parents/fans, from parents to players, alumni, boosters, auxiliary staff etc. EVERYONE. Is your message as the coach after a game the same as the players parent on the ride home? Is your metric for success in the program the same for your AD and those evaluating your success as the coach? Have these metrics been discussed? Or left to chance? #3 - Attainability/Achievability of our vision - for all our players. How realistic and attainable is our vision not just for some, but for all our players. From the starting 5 to the last freshman on the bench. Have we framed it in a way, and equipped each player in our program with the ability to be “successful”? Even the one that aren’t on the floor. Do our players know what success looks like on the court, in the classroom, in the community? Are we giving them chances to be successful in other areas of the program other than just game night?#4 - Stability of the vision - is our vision constantly moving? Are we constantly shooting blindly in the dark at a moving target? Or have we become firmly founded in what our vision truly is? Do we have the confidence to stay steady on that course regardless of the dynamic and fluid circumstances surrounding our program as a whole and the individuals that make it up? It can be easy to lose sight of that vision when expectations are raised for the first time in our program, or even more so, when our program takes a hit and goes in the opposite direction after establishing some success. Or, are we secure and confident in the vision we have created and stay the course?#5 - Engagement/Investment - how attuned are our stakeholders to the vision we are creating? Are our players and staff invested in the moment? Are they engaged enough to be aware of what is going on around us? Can we be so focused on our vision that we can put the blinders on, block out the noise, stay focused on what’s “essential” and keep to who we are and what we are trying to accomplish? Will our stakeholders be so engaged and invested they will have faith and be loyal to our mission? Especially when things get tough (and things will get tough… or maybe even tougher than they already are). Are creating the environment necessary for vision success? Our our questioning and feedback strategies creating the engagement and investment for real learning? Or are we a collection of “bobble heads”?#6 - Resources - both material and human. It is so easy to focus on what we don’t have, or to compare ourselves and our program to someone else’s. The bottom line is we are all different, and even to those who seem like they have it all or have it all together still have their own issues. Winning programs have problems, they may be masked for a tone but they do exist. We have all heard the saying before, “comparison is the third of joy.” Looking at another program that seems to have it all together can be a fallacy and cause us to spend (waste) the energy we need to work on us. If we can focus on us and celebrate the things we DO HAVE and then work to become more efficient at redistributing our resources so they work for us in a more productive manner then we don’t have to compare to someone else. Because it’s not about that other program, it’s about yours. Everyone can worry or complain about time, money, talent, space, help, etc. but we also learned that having an EXCESS of those things can also be a detriment and get in our way. Because we begin to rely on those things and not put our effort and attention on the most important resource we have…. the PEOPLE in our program.
What are you doing to FINISH THE BUSINESS pertaining to these 6 areas and help your program STACK THE DECK in your favor as much as possible?let us help you navigate these roadblocks: click here.
In Service, Kyle Kavanaugh