The Importance of Preparation

The Importance of Preparation

"Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail." John Wooden

When I coach and train managers, I tend to use a lot of sports analogies, and I reference John Wooden whenever I can. This quote came to me today as I was in my garage engaged in that annual ritual of getting the snow blower out of the back of the garage, checking my supply of ice melt, gathering up my shovels, and moving all of that to the front of the garage. We are expecting some snow later this week so it was good that I took care of this today. I also recently purchased a generator and I started that up for two reasons, to let the engine run and to make sure I remembered how to turn it on.

In thinking about this, I also thought about how Coach Wooden's adage very much applies to us as leaders,  not only in us being fully prepared for what we do, but also, preparing our people for what they need to do. This applies to most things that we do from on-boarding people, to creating that climate to allow our people to motivate themselves to superior performance, to orienting new managers, and many other aspects of how we manage and lead our people.

Serving as an example of being prepared is important for any leader. As leaders, the importance you place on preparation, will set that standard for your people that you, personally, place a high priority on preparation. Holding your people accountable for not only being prepared, but having that desire to be prepared, will build in them a commitment to preparation. Coach Wooden planned all of his practices down to the minute, even planning where the ball rack should be placed during drills, in order not to waste the time that players would waste if the balls were placed in a location that would have the players take extra time to retrieve and put back the balls after use.

Preparation also helps alleviate the stress of your people because being prepared for situations builds their confidence in themselves to face those situations and take confident action. So, how as a leader, can you assure that your people will place the necessary importance on preparation? Here are some things you can do:

1. Set the example. You as a leader need to emphasize the importance of preparation and walk the preparation walk.
2. Coach your people. People prepare differently. Some use lists, others use different tools and methods. Also, some have no clue on how to prepare. Your job as a leader is to coach your people and help them find the method that work best for them. Also, allowing them that freedom to prepare their own way, provided their way gives the needed results, empowers them and enables them to hold themselves personally accountable for their preparation.
3. Reward those who prepare well. Deliver positive feedback to those who excel at preparation. Also, have those who excel at preparation help those members of your team who are not as strong at preparation. By having your people who excel, help you "coach up" your people who need help, is a potential double positive outcome. The person giving the help has an opportunity to develop his or her own leadership skills, and the person receiving the help has the opportunity to improve his or her skill at preparation. 

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to reading your comments.

Be well.