Plans, goals and small steps

Beginning of the new year usually means new plans, and for a lot of people New Year’s resolutions.  These range from personal health and fitness goals, to business directions and strategy decisions.
Although this is especially significant at the beginning of the year, most of us are no strangers to making a plan and then trying to execute it, or maybe we are.

Is a goal achievable without a plan? Most people would say that it is not. But can a plan get in the way of the goal? And this is where things get a little tricky.

Often we make long term goals, which we have a problem obtaining. Let’s look at a simple example of a New Year’s resolution of weight loss. We set a target to lose a particular number, and hit the gym at the start of january. We work hard, and each evening jump on the scales to check on the progress. We then keep thinking how much we have left to obtain our goal.

This approach seems logical, but I started questioning it when the goal is far away. How does an athlete prepare for the Olympic games which are 4 years away? Is it possible to maintain focus for such a long period of time? The short answer is no.

 

Dawid Ostrega Head Coach

 

Because of this, we often fall short of our New Year’s resolution goals, because they are far away, and we simply stop believing in them.

The solution to this is relatively straightforward. Set your goal, make a plan of actionable things which you will do, and then forget about the goal.

In the case of the Kings, we use the catchphrase “Next Rep”. The idea is to focus on the next repetition during a practice session. After the practice session ends, focus on having a good meal. After that, getting a good night’s sleep. At no point are we thinking about the championship, in fact we’re not even thinking about the next game. The focus is on the moment, on the Next Rep. We ensure that each rep is done perfectly, because when you put together all those ideal reps, the score will take care of itself.

The business world is not different. Sometimes we focus so hard on the annual goal, that we forget about the actual small steps needed to take us there. The most significant of those small steps is talking to people, and communicating well. When focusing on the next rep, and ensuring it’s done correctly, we usually look a lot more closely at the details, and the details require communication.

Go YoungBlood!

Dawid Ostręga
Head Coach
Kraków Football Kings u18

Dawid Ostręga

Dawid Ostręga

A manager with 15 years of experience gained in England, the USA and Poland. He has managed such firms as SKK S.A., EPAM System, IBM and SolarWinds. An American football player. He is oriented towards the achievement of goals through teamwork. Captain of the University of Hertfordshire Hurricanes team with which he twice won the championship of England. Captain of the Great Britain youth champions. He combines the positions of chairman and trainer of the Krakow Kings team, with which he has won the Polish league of American football.