Winning is a Management Strategy Game

Winning is a Management Strategy Game
by: Daniel Morales, MBA

During the Olympics games millions around the world watched athletes challenge themselves and each other. We saw them, both in athletic skills and professionalism. Not only did we get a chance to see sports performances but we also got a glimpse, through interviews and spotlight pieces, of the means that these athletes use to reach their best performances.

What does this have to do with you as a small business owner and entrepreneur? Two things.

First, an entrepreneur’s role is to lead people to aspire to be better, and to make anything appear possible. Perhaps we can gain insight into this process by learning from these athletes.

Second, entrepreneurs themselves can aspire to “winning management”, using some of the techniques of athletes to increase their personal management effectiveness.

Let’s take a look at four general techniques that small business owners can use to enhance their ability to deal with challenging situations.

Visioning Outcomes and Results

A gold medal swimmer indicated that part of his preparation included imagining standing on the gold medal podium and hearing his national anthem played loud over the speakers. This type of visioning, repeated over and over, becomes a central motivating force for overcoming obstacles, because it focuses you on the outcome and can be used as reward.

It makes the goal seem attainable, real and concrete provided that you visualize yourself in the picture, and that you paint a picture that engages all your feeling and your senses. What does it feel like? What are you hearing? What do you see? What do you smell?

A few examples. The entrepreneur who needs to do a stressful presentation, imagines that at the end, the audience is standing and applauding, a well deserved outcome. He or She imagines the sense of accomplishment, the sight of those people smiling. Or consider a manager who has to conduct a difficult performance review. He prepares by thinking about a successful outcome, shaking hands with the employee, as the employee smiles and thanks him for the help.

Rehearsal and Preparation

If you prepare for an event by actually carrying out the actions and behaviors, it is called practice. If you mentally run through the motions, it is called rehearsal. You are practicing in the mind. Fortunately, practicing in the mind can be done anywhere and can be as effective as doing it for real. However, mental rehearsal, as with results visioning, must be undertaken in detail, each step, action or word being imagined. The more vivid the picture painted, the better the results. Also, it is most effective if you imagine some obstacles, things that might go wrong, and imagine dealing successfully with them.

For examples. A business presentation rehearsal, where you run through in your head, what you will say, how you will say it, what you will look like while you are saying it, and what you will do if the overhead projector doesn’t work. Or a meeting with an irate client, where you prepare by anticipating his behavior, and rehearsing your own responses.

Skills Building and Training

All the visioning and rehearsal in the world can’t help you if you do not know what you were doing in the first place. You need to build your skills and aspire to continuous training and development, if you are going to improve. You need to learn. Read all you can. Talk to other managers about how they do things. Take courses and training opportunities. Ask peers and subordinates. Network with other people. And most important, reflect upon what you see and hear and learn. Even if it’s in the shower or driving to work. Sneak it in. Do it Daily.

Focus

One thing that stands out with olympic athletes is their ability to focus on their task and tune out other things. Imagine if you had to chair a staff meeting with 70,000 observers and 20 million T.V. watchers.

When faced with difficult tasks, you need to ensure that other things are not intruding on your thoughts. Part of this is mental discipline which is not easy for some to learn. Part is learning how to manage your environment. If you are faced with a challenge, make sure that you are not interrupted in your preparation for the challenge.

Focussing can be learned through mental disciplines such as meditation, or physical disciplines such as bodybuilding, cardiovascular exercises or certain martial arts. Learning relaxation techniques will also help your focusing abilities.

Summary

It may seem that these techniques should be particularly relevant for less experienced entrepreneurs, but, they are even more important for those who have more experience. That is because there is a tendency, after awhile, to stop developing and stop learning. When this happens a once successful small business owner may become an inept one. By consciously applying these techniques, you will begin to approach your peak performance levels at any task, and enhance your long term entrepreneurial effectiveness.

You are on your way to become an Olympic entrepreneur.

Got Comments?

I welcome your comments and experiences click here to send me an email.

Credits

Photo Courtesy of US Army by Robert Trubia taken February 20, 2002.
Spc. Jill Bakken holds flowers aloft and enjoys her moment of triumph after winning the gold in the first-ever women’s Olympic bobsled race Feb. 19. Her brakeman Vonetta Flowers is also being lifted by teammates after the race.

Copyright © 2008 – Daniel Morales
Daniel Morales is an international trainer, speaker and business consultant. He is currently Director for the San Gabriel Valley SBDC Small Business Development Center, Hosted by Mt. San Antonio College in Los Angeles, California. As a serial entrepreneur and small business owner, he provides real life practical training and consulting for hundreds of businesses each year. To find out how Daniel can help you create prosperity by achieving your business goals faster, you can contact him at www.danielmorales.com