05 January 2020
| Welcome to 2021! We received a lot of requests for more information about last week’s Tip of the Week, so picking up where we left off, let’s dive into PLANNING FROM THE HIT BACKWARDS a little deeper. The primary idea in this is clearly identifying what your ultimate objective is, and then working backward to design your PLAN. For example, if a SEAL Team’s objective is to rescue an American hostage held up in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, then our objective would be to have the hostage under our control by (specific) date/time with zero loss of (allied) lives. In order to accomplish this, we work our timelines backward. We would identify what time we need to be back on base with Mission Complete, which means we need to leave the target area by…, on-target by…, crossing into the Helmand Province by…, wheels up by…roll-call by…done with the Platoon Brief by…etc. With this timeline, we can build the specifics in each phase such as route planning, enemy threats or contact, identifying and authenticating the hostage, medical attention to the hostage, moving the hostage, etc. Why does this work? MISSION SUCCESS – First and foremost, identifying mission success aligns with a mentality we share with the CEO’s and coaches we work with. Don’t tell your people what you don’t want them to do. Tell them what you want them to accomplish. This is important because performance follows focus. If you focus on what you don’t want to do, your focus is actually on that, so you are mentally preparing for failure. Identify what Mission Complete is FIRST! BE SPECIFIC – Next, goals are often subjective, leaving too much room for error. I’m going to lose 25 pounds by June 4th so I can have my Beach Bod ready for Summer. This gives you a specific set of parameters to properly plan. DEADLINES, DEADLINES, DEADLINES! – Without deadlines, there is no sense of URGENCY, and urgency generates CREATIVITY and DRIVE. This urgency is why Amazon tells you when you’re going to receive your items if you BUY IT NOW! There’s a reason the commerce giants manipulate these tactics. BECAUSE THEY WORK! Figure out what better looks like, then work backward to make your vision a reality. Avoid overthinking, waiting too long, or simply letting it die on the vine because there was no sense of urgency. Remember, the world needs HITTERS! |
| Quote of the Day “There are many talented people who haven’t fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith.” – James Cameron |
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Embrace the Suck Podcast Episode 05: Embrace the Suck: Revisiting Our discussion on Crap country Want more APG Performance Tips, check out our podcast
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