Our pastor spoke Sunday on the “Season of Preparation” in our lives. I went up to him after church to tell him that he had “stolen my thunder!!??!!?” I explained that I talk to groups and individuals all the time about the “5 P’s of Success.” Of course he asked, “what are the 5 P’s?” I replied:
PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE!
My talk is entitled “Preparation ALWAYS Precedes Promotion.”
Pastor Michael agreed… since the focus of his message was on NOT skipping the “season of preparation.” He said that “when we try to skip the season of preparation, we actually skip the best moments of life!” and, too often people”want to BE ready— but we don’t want to GET ready! Shortcuts are not the answer.” In fact, the most impactful statement he made was “Making a shortcut in the prep season messes up the ‘harvest season.'” That’s where our 2 talks come together. If you want to be productive. If you want to be promoted. If you want to be successful, then you have to properly prepare! And it doesn’t matter if you’re a football coach, a teacher or a businessperson…. “failing to prepare is preparing to fail!”
You’ve heard the axiom “practice makes perfect.” Is that true? NO! Not exactly. Yes, practice is very important (thing Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 reps rule!”); however, the only thing that makes perfect is… perfect practice. The only thing that produces successful results is proper practice. What do I mean, then, by proper preparation?
1) Be organized! Another axiom (I’m full of them!!!) “Plan your work and work your plan!” But, you can’t “work your plan” if you don’t have a plan in the first place! This means organizing both short range (day to day activities) and long range (getting a general plan for the whole (next) year.
I’ve talked with coaches who go out on the practice field and don’t even have a practice schedule! No wonder there’s not experiencing any success!
2) Be disciplined. This means you’re going to have to not only plan for your success but you’re going to have to implement that plan. This is going to require that you become disciplined. That brings to mind the idea of perseverance or persistence! If things aren’t working out according to your plan, do you persist? OR… do you give up?
I left teaching and coaching 10 years into my career to “seek my fame and fortune” selling life insurance! UGH! The only good thing that came out of it was… I was such a miserable failure at selling that I humbled myself one day and surrendered my life to Jesus! and, nothing has been the same since. “It just keeps getting better!”
I heard a man speak at an insurance agent’s conference who shared one of the the most important statements I’ve ever heard. This guy was one of the top salesman in the entire industry. Very unassuming; quiet… almost shy— so he was not your typical “go-getter” high pressure salesman that we’ve all run across. Someone asked him what was his secret to his phenomenal success? What he said has never left me! Albert Gray said, “The common denominator of success — the secret of success of every person who has ever been successful— lies in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.” So simple but sooooooo profound! Ask yourself: What is it that I don’t like to do? Find the answer to that question and you are probably uncovering the basis for why you haven’t achieved the goals that you’ve set.
3) Do your homework! In coaching that means scouting and developing a game plan. Here is where a coach can find a lot of help by looking at how the military trains its officers to lead and conduct operations. I’ve stated in a blog here before… you need to purchase a copy of Warfighting by General A.N. Gray, USMC. It is one of the most concise and clear-cut treatises on how to plan, organize and implement your strategy for success that I’ve ever read. Get a copy and read it!
The definition of preparation is “make something ready for use.” That’s the whole purpose of leading, isn’t it? Whether it’s getting your players ready for Friday night’s game or preparing them for adulthood… your job is to properly prepare them.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that God is preparing YOU too! He has a purpose and a plan for each of us. We need to look to Him to discover it.
