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Dominating From The “T”

December 23, 2010 in Leadership, Life, Ministry, My Lessons From Last Week, Passion, Skills, Squash, Teamwork, Uncategorized, Vision with 0 Comments

One of my lessons from last week was on the squash court. I think I played one of the best games I’ve played this year! One of the fundamental lessons my coach taught me in high school was the importance of the “T”. Let me explain. The “T” on the squash court is sort of the (technical) center of the court. The chances of you reaching just about any shot played are increased significantly when you’re positioned there. (My high school coach will be proud of me!) The player that can return to the “T” after playing or returning a shot is generally more likely to win a rally.

Before last week I played terrible games. I got into the games a little too late and as a result  lost a couple of matches. I hate losing… with a passion! In my match last week, I was down two games and if I’d lost the third game as well  I would’ve lost the match. During the break between the second and third game I decided to consult with one of my team mates. I asked for opinion from someone watching and not in the game per se. If you want to improve on your “delivery”, your colleagues / teammates is a good place to start for feedback and pointers. I saw some of the mistakes and loss of points I made in a new light. As my team mate explained where I’d lost most of my points I realized something.

In some instances I had given the ball back to my opponent and had played shots that didn’t force him to move from the “T”. I made it easy for my opponent to score against me! My game only started improving after I kept playing the kinds of shots that would force my opponent off the T and allow me to dominate the T. A reminder that one of the key ingredients to winning is positioning… This could mean your location mentally and even physically. Am sure you’ve witnessed organizations changing location in order to better their results or performance. They consider several things e.g. moving closer to resource supply or to their (potential) beneficiaries. Perhaps the physical move you may need to make is a holiday, just to clear your thinking etc… Either way, the move is always intended to be one that would move the team or organization into a position of strength.

Perhaps the position you need to change is in the “mental space”  or frame of mind. Like I did, ask those around about areas they feel you may need to make adjustments. Sometimes the change that give us the edge is in our mindset or attitude. Sometimes we do need someone looking at us “from the outside” to tell us that our attitude stinks and needs an overhaul of sort! Sometimes those around us tell us things we don’t want to hear but that is what is necessary to move us forward. Am not condoning imbalance or unfair criticism, but sometimes what makes criticism positive or negative is how we receive it and not just how it is given to us. Are you going to listen, asses, “spit the bones” out and grow or justify and make excuses when areas of possible growth are highlighted to you?

As you push toward your goals, ensure that you always return to a position that empowers you to move forward. Don’t waste the shots that you have now, they can be a good platform, empowering the ones you take after that. As you reflect on how far you’ve come, and look ahead, remember to always return to the position of strength and think beyond the shot you taking now, but also the one you’re going to take after it. Remember to consult with your team or colleagues and return to the “T”.

My Lessons From Last Week – Week 6

October 18, 2010 in Ideas, Leadership, Life, My Lessons From Last Week, Productivity, Squash, Teamwork, Vision with 0 Comments

On Whose Terms?

As I reflect on last week, one of the strongest lessons that seems to stand out is my the question, “how have I been responding to some challenges lately?” I dealt with an institution that needed a lot of documents. This is a normal part of organizational life, for the sake of record keeping,  accountability etc. Like the saying goes, “if’ it’s not on paper it doesn’t exist”… Anyway, I had to do what seemed like a hundred and one trips, phone calls and emails as I attempted to give them all they required from me. At some point I got very frustrated. If I needed their help I had no choice but to meet all the requirements.

This is the nature of life; we are often forced to work with situations we are not happy with. But because they contribute to the outcome we desire, we have to work with them. It is human tendency to want to change everything to fit us or what we consider unique to us. We go about life  acting and thinking, “no one could possibly be in a dire circumstance as I am”. We’re generally “me-centered”…  We sometimes even expect life, our work etc to fit in to how we want it… Sometimes we spend a lot of time trying to change situations instead of cooperating with them. I am no longer going to waste time trying to change things I do not have control of.

Last week I was reminded that there are always going to be situations I am going to be able to change and at the same time, ones I will not be able to change. Instead of trying to change circumstances or systems I have no control over, I am going to simply look more into how I can work with them. Perhaps even work with some of these ‘systems’ to change them! In think there are times we have to work with the challenges and not against them to get the best out situations.

On The Squash Court

A friend of mine made the same mistake I made a few months ago. Just before his match, he added a new grip to his racquet. He did not replace the one that was already there, but wrapped the new one over the old one. If you ask most people that play racquet sports they’ll tell you that it does significantly affect your grip and subsequently your shots and game. Immediately after adding the grip he got on the court and went straight into his match. Because the feel of his racquet had changed drastically it affected his shots. Toward  the end of the match he ditched the newer grip… The difference immediately showed; he was able to better gauge the strength in his shots and better “place” the ball… Unfortunately too late in the game, and he lost!

The lesson: don’t introduce drastic changes before a major “game” if you can avoid it! One of the reasons why change sometimes causes colossal failures is because it is introduced too fast. When you introduce change in your life, organization, team, family etc, it may be worthwhile to do it at a manageable pace. If you haven’t been running don’t wake up and plunge yourself into a twenty kilometer run… Run the shorter distances first and build your stamina. Increase the distance as your stamina builds. Play practice games with the new grip before playing the match with it!

What one thing did you learn last week? Please do share…