By: Todd Skinner
I admit I’m a sports fanatic, and at this time of year it’s all about pro football. The teams are making a run for the Superbowl and every inch counts. Recently, I was watching a Monday night football nail-bitter and while I know that most professional athletes earn millions of dollars a year, I was struck by something deeper. My business coach radar went off. “Not only do these athletes earn millions of dollars, but it’s for a few hours of actual ‘game time’ each week.” Now that’s incredible financial leverage!
This opened my eyes to a “multi-million-dollar focusing system.’ While in season, a football player is focused on building toward a critically important event each and every week … Game Day. When not playing the game, they are conditioning or practicing so when it is game time they are at their best and ready. Finally, when they are not playing or practicing, they are taking time off to rejuvenate, relax and heal.
We business owners could stand to learn from this highly focused and simple approach to priority and performance management.
As a business coach, I love the clarity and simplicity of the Game Day concept and the strategic-focusing system. Unlike overworked and overwhelmed business owners, professional athletes are not trying to manage time, multiple roles, and dozens of low-value tasks. Athletes prioritize and simplify their world, with the help of coaches of course, by focusing on three dedicated days: GAME DAYS, PRACTICE DAYS, and OFF DAYS.
What if business owners organized their week and work days around the concept of game days, practice days and off days? I think it would significantly improve an owner’s focus and effectiveness, earning more money, working less hours, and enjoying richer lives.
Game Days
Focus only on what you do best and the most constructive use of your time, talents, and efforts that drive significant money and value into the business (e.g. selling, marketing, leading, planning, client relations, innovating or creating); your money-making talent. For example, let’s say “selling major accounts” is your Game Day activity, dedicate or time-block 2-hrs every morning to make sales calls. Don’t handle any low-value work or get distracted by anything or anyone else on that day or at that time (No distractions – Its Game Time! You don’t see a quarterback being interupted in the middle of a game by someone in the front office asking them to sign off on something).
Question: What is “Game Day” to you and your team? Do you know what “Vital Few” high-value activities you need to complete to make money? Does your staff?
Practice Days
On Practice Days, plan and prepare for the upcoming Game Day activities to be at your best for the handful of hours that will be dedicated to using your money-making talents. If your game day plan is to sell major to accounts; go over strategy, scripts, objection handling, power questions, research, etc In order to go out and deliver the best selling performance possible on game day, practice is key. Unfortunately, many of us practice on our clients or prospects!
Off days? What are those you might be thinking! Off Days would allow you to spend time away from work (Game Days and Practice Days) to rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. We need a minimum of a day a week for rest. Movie stars take breaks or hiatuses. Football players get days off. Take a real break from your company … no calls, no emails, no work, no nothing. Time to re-charge your battery, spirit, mind and creativity in order to make the most of your Game and Practice Days..
Question: When was the last time you took a two week vacation without your Blackberry or laptop?
Doesn’t that world (game days, practice days and off days) sound a lot simpler than the chaos, complexity, and countless low-value tasks you experience on a daily basis? Doesn’t that world seem a lot more focused, strategic and effective? Doesn’t this multi-million-dollar focusing system make sense? I think it does.
Todd Skinner is an award winning trainer, coach and global entrepreneur. Locally, Todd is known as The Growth Coach and Team Leader/CEO at Keller Williams Energy Real Estate. For more information or questions please contact Todd at t.skinner@thegrowthcoach.com