Have you ever stopped to consider why musicians rehearse so much, or why athletes spend so much time training?
It’s not because they’re in trouble or doing something wrong, but instead because they understand the essential importance of preparation. For performers, public facing work is only a small part of their lives – but during those moments, they need to execute at the highest level, and doing so requires diligent, systematic preparation, rehearsal, and practice.
These bursts of “game time” performance rely on effort that takes place behind the scenes. The best performers invest their energy outside of the spotlight to ensure that when the pressure’s on, their actions are automatic.
If we apply these principles to business, “game time” consists of interactions with clients and customers, but the behaviors that drive your team’s success are rooted in systems, training, and documentation that are developed outside of the proverbial spotlight.
The moneymaking activities of your organization are only a small portion of what happens every day, but it’s those things that you do outside of those activities that position the business for “prime time.”
For athletes, it’s lifting weights, running drills, working out plays, and studying opponents. For musicians and other performers, it’s stage blocking, making sure each passage of the music is under control, refining techniques, and honest reflection about any parts of the performance that aren’t up to snuff.
But what does this kind of practice look like for businesses?
In short, the 90 Day SPRINT.
In the audio presentation below, we’ll take a deep dive into the specifics, but first, an overview of this powerful, success-driving approach to making your moments in the spotlight truly count.
SPRINT stands for:
- Systematic action
- Process improvement
- Routines and repetition
- Integration
- Never stop learning
- Test and measure
This is a 90 day process to work ON the business, stepping up to a level of greatness that will serve all of your future actions. This is a path toward building capacity for excellence through systems, processes, documentation, and routine.
The SPRINT approach is drawn from 25 years of coaching experience, working with over 2000 companies and leaders to cultivate excellence and high performance systems. This powerful, field tested methodology liberates business owners and leadership teams, improves competitive positioning, creates greater value for customers, and increases both profit and market cap value.
The audio presentation is about why these systems truly matter, inspiration for putting a SPRINT into motion, and the details of how it looks in action. We’ll also look at some examples of getting outside of yourself to focus on outcomes through a rigorous approach to system development that allows for creativity, passion, and utilizing skills that align with your highest calling.
It works like this: for the next 12 weeks (90 days), you and your team will develop one system per week. As the team moves through the S, P, R, I, N, and T of the list above, several key elements will ensure successful system development:
1. Assign a “watchtower” person who oversees the system of the week, ensuring that discussion, documentation, dissemination, and measurement are consistently taking place throughout the week.
2. Appoint a “court reporter” who is responsible for documenting the process of system development AND transforming that documentation into a manual that can be used in the future for training and implementation.
3. Build a “bullpen” system that allows people to practice, repeat, roleplay, run through, and rehearse the actions of the system being developed to help create habitual consistency that operates automatically on behalf of the system.
You must also NAME your new system, then define the three Ws: who, what, and when.
I’ve created this downloadable Team Canvas worksheet to help you put roles in place, determine who is responsible for each piece, set timelines, and predict potential pitfalls for each team:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2s6uga40l4vb69w/Team%20Canvas%20Fillable%20Form.pdf?dl=0
This SPRINT process will do more than develop systems and consistency in your business. It will also help you know your motivations – and be honest about them.
The cornerstone of this entire method is “GAS” or Give a Shit-ism. When you take on the challenge to build new, better systems for your organization, you’re forced to consider what matters most.
This is an exercise in prioritizing, but perhaps more importantly, it’s an exercise in self-examination for the entire organization – and seeing that committing to excellence is a matter of effort and exploration, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
Why is committing to excellence valuable?
The future rewards curiosity. You do the work because you care, not because the outcome is certain. When you care enough to put a SPRINT process into practice, you move closer to your goals and intended results, refining as you go with another acronym: KISS – Keep, Improve, Start, and Stop.
As your SPRINT systems take shape each week, the KISS framework will help you evaluate what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs adjustment.
The audio below expands on all of these topics, but remember these steps as you begin your SPRINT process:
- Name your system
- Assign a watchtower
- Assign a court reporter
- Establish a bullpen (and a meeting place/time for it)
- Apply the KISS framework to adjust and refine as needed
In the next 90 days, you’ll develop 12 new systems to reorient your team and your entire organization toward more deliberate action – and attitude. With GAS on your side, you’ll identify the most important areas of improvement and take huge strides toward a business that operates with care, intention, and habitual consistency.
After this 90 day SPRINT, you can embark on another!
