I love high school state tournaments. They're living examples of how people, when the pressure's on, can perform at levels they have previously only dreamed of achieving.
Last night I went to my daughter's state tournament volleyball game - not the championship yet, just the prelims, but it was still the state competition.
It also could be my daughter's last high school game, as she's a senior, and it's a single-elimination tournament.
The excitement was high as we walked into the gym. Prairie, my daughter's team, had played RLH 4 times during the year, and have never won a single game, much less a match. Our hopes were high, but expectations low.
Then we saw something we hadn't seen before - these girls were playing volleyball, real volleyball, the way it's supposed to be played. Oh, they've known the theories all season long, and had even shown moments of greatness prior to this game, but those moments always passed, and hopes were dashed.
But all of the sudden, we saw a Prairie team playing like they'd never played before. And then we looked at the scoreboard and realized a win here was possible!
The first game ended with Prairie on top 25-23. I was already hoarse from cheering. The Prairie side of the stands was rocking and rolling. (An interesting site as most of us were parents - picture a generic rock concert...or better yet, Mick Jagger in concert!)
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The second game was neck and neck all the way, but Prairie lost, 26-24. That took all the steam out of the team, and they lost the third game 25-17. Now we were seeing the inconsistent team we had grown used to throughout the year.
In the fourth game of the best 3 out of 5 match, Prairie was behind 19-13 and we had just about given up. But then something happened. It started on the back line, with Prairie digging up virtually every spike sent their way, then it moved to the front line, where Prairie's blocks started working and their spikes started hitting the ground again.
Then something amazing happened. My daughter, who is excellent at blocking spikes but who had never yet this season really connected on a spike, let her body go do what it had been trained to do. She hit a sizzling spike that looked like something right out of a sports physiology textbook. The feeling was so unusual for her that she almost landed on her rear afterwards! The coaches and her father were practically in tears, seeing a whole season's work with a young woman with great potential finally appearing in a single quarter second of action.
Now her spike certainly wasn't the cause, but Praise went on to win the thrilling battle for game point, winning 30-28. By this time, we have no voices left, but the stands are definitely ready for the encore!
Unfortunately, Prairie's team's season ended 20 minutes later as they lost the last game of the match.
But through the tears of the teammates there was much joy. Yes, their season was over, but every girl on the court had finished their season with a phenomenal performance. What a way to finish!
It was almost as if each girl had relaxed into her game, and simply done what they had been trained to do.
I tell you this not to brag (though I'm pretty proud of my "little" [6' 17-year old] girl). I tell you this to bring up something that we don't think about enough in business.
The principle of systemization.
Virtually every one of us has spent time on a team or in gym class learning how to shoot a basket, swing a bat, spike a volleyball or throw a pass. These are physical skills, where we teach our nerves and our muscles the exact pattern necessary to execute the skill, freeing up the conscious mind to be able to make adjustments for that specific situation.
I played basketball in high school, and to this day, when a shot is going to go up, I automatically move to the most likely spot to grab the rebound, box out whomever's within range, time my jump, grab the ball, clear and protect it, look to the outlet pass and sprint down to the other end of the court. It's all on auto pilot, even when I shouldn't be playing that aggressively.
But that's just the way my body's been trained. I honestly have to consciously think to disturb and adjust those patterns.
What systems do you have in your business that allow it to function in a similar manner?
What systems can you create?
What projects take conscious, and even worse, management attention to implement which could be relegated to systematic processes that require little or no attention by your company's genius workers?
Or better yet, what situations can be automated to remove all thought requirements altogether?
What happens when you get a sales lead, an order, or a request for a press kit? These can all be systematized!
What happens when you come home with a pocket full of business cards from a trade show or convention? This can be systematized!
Even high-thought processes can be systematized to a degree. You can dictate which processes must transpire, which considerations must be made and which information must be gathered before a decision can be made, thus saving tons of time and improving the quality of your decisions in the meantime.
Think about this seriously - there are few better ways to improve your profitability...
Posted October 21, 2004
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