Know when to step up, and when to take thebackseat.in planning and participating in a team game plan.
- Step 1: Recognize when it’s game time.
- Game time refers to:
-
- Any time when you are not planning, preparing, teaching, or learning.Conversely, it is any time you are doing, implementing, or executing.
- An event, action, or activity that:
- Can’t be interrupted.
- You have planned or prepared for.
- Is either the executable action listed in the game plan or is crucial tothe success of the game plan.
- Step 2: Understand that your role as manager at game time is different fromany other time.
- Don’t…
-
- Lose objectivity by getting emotionally involved in a project, task, orundertaking.
- Attempt to teach while employees are trying to execute. (Remember thatthe added pressure of game time performance can minimize the impact of yourlessons on your team.)
- Try to correct mistakes. Save this for the next appropriate learningopportunity unless your employees are jeopardizing the game plan irreparably.
- In many cases (such as when practice or lengthy discussions are required),it would be ineffective to attempt to correct mistakes during game time.
- Otherwise interrupt the execution of the plan.
- Be an unnecessary distraction.
- Make corrections based primarily on “how I would’ve done it.”
Do…
- Analyze the actions of your staff and your team’s progress toward theoverall objective (save your analysis and share it with your team only when theaction has subsided).
- Make necessary adjustments and corrections to keep your team aligned, butdo so unobtrusively and only when you know that you can make an impact.
- Be available as a resource.
- Be a source of guidance, advice, and motivation.
- Reinforce the game plan whenever possible.
- Reinforce positive observations whenever possible.
- Keep an eye on your identified opponents.
- Plan the next “down time” learning opportunity.
- Assess the support structure that you’ve developed (what’s working andwhat’s not working as expected).
- Look for ways to remove obstacles for employees.
- Maintain discipline and adherence to the game plan by unobtrusivelymaintaining the team’s focus on the game plan and reemphasizing unitresponsibilities and individual assignments.
- Step in when an employee has lost emotional control or is otherwise actingcontrary to the team playing style in a way that is compromising the executionof the game plan.
© 2001, The Center for Effective Performance,Inc.All rights reserved. Assistance on how to effectively implement these checklistsin your organization is available through a new one-day management seminarentitled How to Build A Championship Team at Work.