What do you need to know?
18/10/06 15:24 Filed in: Keep Score
You’re a basketball coach. Your team
is playing in the tournament finals. It's halftime.
As you enter your basketball team’s locker room, what’s the single most important piece of information you need? Pick 1:
Did you pick “number of rebounds”? Controlling rebounds can result in control of the game. If you get more offensive rebounds and stop them from getting offensive rebounds (they have scored 8 points on second-shot attempts), you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick rebounding.
Did you pick “number of turnovers”? Mistakes can cost you the game—or them the game. If you decrease your turnovers and increase their turnovers, you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick number of turnovers.
Did you pick “players in foul trouble”? You need your key players on the floor—not on the bench, due to foul trouble. You need to know if their 2 key players are in foul trouble. You need to know so you can increase your chances of winning by getting their 2 key players in foul trouble. I didn’t pick players in foul trouble.
The single most important piece of information you need to coach your team is not shooting percentage, number of rebounds, number of turnovers, or players in foul trouble.
What is?
The score.
To coach effectively, you must know the sport, what constitutes winning, and the score. Then you can implement an effective second-half game plan.
The same is true for leading a Christian organization. To lead effectively, you must know your God-given mission, what constitutes achieving your mission, and your current level of mission achievement—the score. Then you can implement a strategic improvement plan.
What’s the score?
(If you’re not sure, call “time-out.” Define what constitutes the achievement of your mission. Then determine your current level of mission achievement.)
Calvin Johnston, Christian Academy in
Japan, headmaster
Knowing the score is essential. When I know the score, I can more effectively focus our school’s energy on the right things, things that will help us achieve our mission. When I don’t know the score, it is hard for me to say no to good ideas. We can’t do all the good ideas so knowing the score helps me make tough choices
As you enter your basketball team’s locker room, what’s the single most important piece of information you need? Pick 1:
- Shooting percentage, yours and theirs
- Number of rebounds, yours and theirs
- Number of turnovers, yours and theirs
- Players in foul trouble, yours and theirs
Did you pick “number of rebounds”? Controlling rebounds can result in control of the game. If you get more offensive rebounds and stop them from getting offensive rebounds (they have scored 8 points on second-shot attempts), you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick rebounding.
Did you pick “number of turnovers”? Mistakes can cost you the game—or them the game. If you decrease your turnovers and increase their turnovers, you increase your chances of winning. I didn’t pick number of turnovers.
Did you pick “players in foul trouble”? You need your key players on the floor—not on the bench, due to foul trouble. You need to know if their 2 key players are in foul trouble. You need to know so you can increase your chances of winning by getting their 2 key players in foul trouble. I didn’t pick players in foul trouble.
The single most important piece of information you need to coach your team is not shooting percentage, number of rebounds, number of turnovers, or players in foul trouble.
What is?
The score.
To coach effectively, you must know the sport, what constitutes winning, and the score. Then you can implement an effective second-half game plan.
The same is true for leading a Christian organization. To lead effectively, you must know your God-given mission, what constitutes achieving your mission, and your current level of mission achievement—the score. Then you can implement a strategic improvement plan.
What’s the score?
(If you’re not sure, call “time-out.” Define what constitutes the achievement of your mission. Then determine your current level of mission achievement.)
Knowing the score is essential. When I know the score, I can more effectively focus our school’s energy on the right things, things that will help us achieve our mission. When I don’t know the score, it is hard for me to say no to good ideas. We can’t do all the good ideas so knowing the score helps me make tough choices