CHANGE AGENTS ARE WIRED DIFFERENTLY
Brokenness… I suspect most of us have those areas in our lives where things don’t quite work as efficiently as we’d like. For many of us, we may do well on a day-to-day basis, perhaps even excelling in many areas of our lives…but like a vehicle that starts every time we ask it to, there seems to be this annoying sound when we accelerate, a squealing when we brake, or perhaps the wheel has a slight pull to one side or the other testifying to the fact there is an alignment issue building. The vehicle still gets us from Point A to Point B…but in the back of our mind, we know something needs to be looked at a bit closer, and we may not be as confident taking it on a long road trip in its current condition. Perhaps, like that vehicle, we know there are some things to be addressed in our lives if we’re going to successfully hit the open road and get to that destination we’ve been aiming for.
As a Coach, as a Probation Officer, I’m wired in such a way that I notice things even when I’m not trying to. As a Change-Agent, many of you may be able to relate to this example.
I’m sitting at my 3rd and 4th grade grandson’s city rec basketball game. This is beginner stuff, okay? No competitive traveling team, just a city rec instructional league to give kids an experience. As I watch, I notice the kid wearing #2 on our team. Every time he catches the ball, he puts his head down and dribbles in a circular direction from the left side of the court to the right side around the free throw lane. He stops just short of the basket and tries to shoot.
As I sit there quietly, two things take place in my mind: 1) I think about teaching #2 to dribble to the left so he’s not so predictable; and 2) I think about how I would teach my players to force him to his left if they were defending such a player.
Wait! I’m grandpa sitting in the bleachers enjoying my grandson’s game! STOP!
C’mon…you have your own issues Change-Agent…maybe not this, but you have them too. We’re wired to see patterns, to identify problematic habits, poor fundamentals, thinking patterns that hold a person back. We’re energized by finding solutions…it’s our fix, our addiction. We’re “jonesing” for the opportunity to see the lightbulb go on in the lives of those entrusted to our care. Maybe, in some way, it lets us know that we are effective and what we do makes a significant impact on those we touch.
Coaches watch hours of tape on players. They’re looking for patterns, scouting tendencies, looking for effective ways to build skill sets in their own players while exploiting the patterns in the opponent.
I have never played organized baseball, but I hear experts talking about pitchers and the arm angle at the point of release on pitches. I’m sitting in the stands watching a game eating a loaded hotdog and drinking a cold drink…I’m not looking at arm angles at the point of release on a pitch. In fact, I’m probably watching the jumbotron to see what funny shots the cameras are picking up in the crowd. Coaches and players are watching the arm angle…constantly studying because they want to be great at their craft.
THE NFL DRAFT
We’re a bit over 2 months from the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll get through the Superbowl this weekend, but in a few days, many talking heads will begin focusing on the draft in late-April. Those of us listening will hear a lot of geek-talk about footwork, arm throwing motion, pocket awareness, etc. The experts will be splitting the details like an atom so they can separate the Peyton Mannings from the Ryan Leafs.
Who?
My point exactly!
In 1998, leading up to the NFL draft, scouts and coaches were looking at all the details of two top tier quarterbacks coming out of college. Everyone was certain they would go #1-#2 in the draft, but in what order…no one was for certain.
One we know…Peyton Manning. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, two-time Superbowl winner, and highly visible in his after-football life.
But what about Ryan Leaf? Ever hear of him? He was drafted #2 and is considered by many to be the biggest draft bust in NFL history. He only played in parts of 4 seasons before teams gave up on him and moved on. In his after-football life, he was given an extended probation sentence in Texas, a prison sentence in Montana, and has been in drug rehab.
Remember, there was a time when NFL scouts wondered which quarterback would go 1st overall…splitting atoms; searching for the details. A billion-dollar industry like the NFL makes million-dollar decisions…they are all about the details.
DETAILS MAY BE SMALL…BUT HUGE
In my last post, I spoke of “Leveling Up” as I talked about pursuing dreams and goals. Initially, it seems to me that the higher we climb, the smaller the details appear.
Starting out, we find large and obvious issues we can address to improve our “game”. Anyone and everyone even with limited understanding of our craft can spot them. However, as we continue climbing higher, the details become smaller, less obvious…and yet, extremely vital in the process to get to our desired destination.
In the vetting process before the NFL draft, each organization does everything they can to leave no stone unturned as they examine every possible detail from football skills to character. But what about more common everyday circumstances? Should we be as vigilant? Think about these scenarios:
- A student finished the semester with an 89.9% grade. If the professor is a stickler on the grading scale, the student is looking at a “B” verses an “A”. Okay, some may say the Professor would round up. I agree. But every professor probably has the line they won’t cross…maybe it’s 89.5, maybe it’s 89.1%…at any rate, the point is, .1% can be the difference between the “B” and the “A”. I bet if that student would seriously evaluate their decisions throughout the semester, they could find that extra .1%.
- In wrestling, an athlete registered to compete at a certain weight limit, can be disqualified from competing if they are 1 ounce overweight at weigh-in. It’s State regionals right now in high school and I consider the consequences for a kid who trained all season only to weigh in at 1 ounce over the weight limit.
Disqualified! Five quarters weigh an ounce… $1.25 can be the difference between being a state champion and being disqualified from competing. Obviously there are many other factors that separate, but you get my point.
- My daughter is a personal trainer. I was thinking about some previous conversations we had so gave her a ring this morning to ask some clarifying questions. Based on the differences between good and bad form, a person could be engaging their hamstrings vs quad muscles at appropriate or inappropriate times. This could be the difference between using great technique and placing too much torque on an ankle, knee, or hip joint, leading to significant Musculo-skeletal problems if not corrected.
I belabor this point for a reason. The details could be the difference between winning or losing a competition, becoming stronger or getting injured, being offered the promotion, or being eliminated from consideration.
REAL LIFE STUFF
This post began in the early morning hours today as I reflected on some poor decision-making recently. I found I was analyzing my patterns and questioning what is wrong with how I think. I see bad patterns that are triggered at specific times, and I question why I continue to have these broken places in my thinking.
Patterns… Tendencies…
Why do I put my head down and dribble to the right all the time like #2 does?
Most of us have desires for something important either directly in front of us, or out ahead of us somewhere. We may not be preparing for the NFL draft or a sports competition, but sports imitates real life. There are winners and losers in competitions all around us…it simply doesn’t make SportsCenter for the evening news. For this very reason, focusing on the details can influence significant outcomes in our future, and to take time off from being mindful about our daily decisions is to potentially allow compromise to interfere with results that are important to us personally.
WAITING UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE
Several years ago, I remember an experience with one of our high school ballplayers. He missed a couple huge free throws at the end of the game, and it played an impact in the outcome of that game. The next night at practice, he was shooting free throws. He did this for one or two more practices and then stopped the routine. He wasn’t bought in on the process of being prepared if and when another opportunity came his way.
Waiting until the stakes are high before we address the details may be waiting until it’s too late. It may be human nature to be casual about the details because we’re just living an ordinary life out of the public limelight, but for those who are in pursuit of excellence, I suspect they don’t flow the same direction as human nature. I suspect they travel against the grain.
As a Change-Agent, we have an eye on the details constantly…like I said earlier, even when we don’t try. It’s simply how we are wired. For those who don’t see themselves in that same capacity, I would encourage you to be mindful of the details in your own life. Where do you see patterns and tendencies that lead to problematic behavior? Don’t ignore these…pay attention to them. Is there a root cause? Are you willing to dig deep and address the root? Are you willing to create a practice plan that eventually eliminates this pattern, this weakness? In the sports world, your opponent is game planning to exploit your weakness to their advantage. Like I said earlier…sports often imitates life.
THE BEST PREDICTOR OF THE FUTURE
When I talk with my probation clients, I often tell them that the best predictor of what is out ahead of them is to look back in their past and identify the reoccurring patterns – whether that be legal issues, addiction, employment/housing issues, etc. If they have not done anything to break the patterns, it is likely those patterns will reoccur again at some point in the future.
That just seems like an obvious truth that applies to me as well.
Is there an injury, a brokenness in how you think? What’s your plan? Attack it or ignore it?
WE PLAY HOW WE PRACTICE
Another saying I used so often as a coach, “we play how we practice”. If we’re not focusing on the details, if we’re not identifying those problematic patterns and tendencies (whether it be in action or in thought), then the reality is we are reinforcing poor fundamentals. When we reinforce those fundamentals, we are more likely to resort to those patterns in the heat of the moment, in pressure situations…it’s how we respond without even thinking.
- Poor fundamentals in our sleeping patterns
- Poor fundamentals in our conditioning
- Poor fundamentals in our diet
- Poor fundamentals in our thinking patterns
- Poor fundamentals in how we use our free time
- Poor fundamentals in how we spend money
- Etc. Etc.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE AFTER
I’m not sure what your vision is for this year, but for me…
- I want to develop my writing and see how far I can Level Up…
- I want to be 90lbs lighter than I was prior to 2018 for practical purposes (see the next two “wants”…)
- I want to climb to Chasm Lake with my daughter this year…
- I want to reach Black Lake and possibly Blue Lake below Longs Peak…
- I want to develop my skill set as a probation officer so I’m effectively challenging and motivating my clients to seek change because they want it…not to stay out of jail or prison…
- I may even want to get back into coaching basketball…but not sure on this one quite yet.
To accomplish these things, I must be focused on the details. Nothing worth accomplishing comes with a casual mindset.
What about you? What are you after?
Let’s work toward Leveling Up and see how far we can go on this journey!