A Coach’s Diary: Strategy

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!”

Competition is a battlefield. And every athlete a warrior. Entering the world of combat.

Teams have leaders. Leaders give orders. Soldiers execute the mission.

Good leaders do more than covet a respectable name.

There are teams and organizations that have established a popular brand in the world of sports. No fan would deny the popularity of teams like the Yankees, Lakers, and Cowboys. But no good leader would be satisfied to ride the coattails of what was built before them. Great leaders aren’t living on past prestige. They’re developing a strategy for current success.

Building a foundation of success begins with vision. Enlisting others who can execute the mission for where a leader believes his team can go. Establishing norms that become nonnegotiable expectations and behaviors for the team to work toward a common goal. This forges a culture of success.

How do you develop a strategy for success in the world of sports?

Consider the game of basketball. The coach implements offensive plays and defensive schemes that he hopes brings success against his opponents. He watches game film and receives scouting reports of his rivals. He includes a few wrinkles to his offensive and defensive sets based on his observations of the other teams’ tendencies and inclinations.

Or baseball. When do you bunt? When do you steal? Should you move your infielders to double play depth? These are strategies that evolve mid game. Making these decisions may not always work but they’re certainly on the table to gain an advantage in the midst of competition.

Developing these strategies bears a risk-reward paradigm. It can make a coach look like a genius when executed properly. Or make a coach look foolish when the risk fails or the team suffers from his decisions. Good strategies aren’t fail-proof but they do give teams the best opportunity to experience success.

What about strategies for success in life?

Everyone knows strategy is important. But there must be some fundamental principles in place before we even start to consider individual circumstances. There must be some core values that we aren’t willing to compromise.

Consider a few of the Ten Commandments. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Fundamentally, most people would agree that those actions are wrong. However, for some, there are instances where there may be exceptions to the rule. The point here is not to suggest which moral laws must be followed and which ones can be ignored, as a general rule. But the question is personal – which ‘laws’ do YOU consider to be fundamentally nonnegotiable?

Strategies are developed around core principles. What we say and what we continually emphasize as nonnegotiable will in fact determine the route of our strategic planning going forward.

Let’s take lying for instance. If we believe lying is a sin and sin hurts the heart of God, then we will develop a strategy to avoid lying at all costs. We know that telling the truth can sometimes cause ourselves or others some amount of hurt. However, because we value the integrity of the truth and obedience to our heavenly Father more than avoiding pain we choose truth above deception and manipulation.

The goal of a Christian is to be Christ-like; to read the script of values that Jesus beheld and embrace them as our own. So what are some strategies that Jesus conveyed in a variety of interactions He had with others?

Jesus developed a wise use of Scripture to combat temptation with the devil. Jesus was patient with others who lacked understanding. Jesus had compassion toward the less fortunate. Jesus was sensitive to the physical and emotional needs of others. Jesus was honest with those who were in error. Jesus remained faithful when others veered from their loyalty. Jesus was courageous in the face of fear and adversity. Jesus was dependable when others needed a friend. Jesus remained humble when others acted in pride and self-conceit.

When we observe the life of Jesus we can see how His identity and core values shaped His words and actions with others. He was very strategic in implementing certain attitudes and patterns of behavior in even the most difficult and challenging circumstances. But why? Because He identified the ‘win’ as honoring His Heavenly Father above all else.

You and I will encounter various trials and battles in life. Moments where our character, reputation, and core values will be challenged. And we will have some difficult decisions to make. Right now, whether we realize it or not, we are developing a strategy for how we will navigate those trials. Be it immediate satisfaction, others’ approval, comfort and convenience, or maintaining our integrity–our strategy is being shaped by the core values we’re constantly keeping before our eyes.

Paul describes the tactical attire for our spiritual battles in this way: we are to put on the full of armor of God which includes the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, covering our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, holding the shield of faith, and carrying the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. He emphasizes these things by saying, ‘having done all, to stand.’

When the battle is raging, we must prepare ourselves to endure to the end. Like Mike Tyson said, we will get punched in the mouth. But our strategy must include a perspective that prepares us for the unknown and the glory that awaits those who faithfully endure to the end. In other words, as Paul says, “there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, not only for me, but all who have longed for His appearing.”

If we truly want to develop a strategy for winning in this life we must have the right perspective on what winning truly means. Our strategy must consist of clothing ourselves in this battle array, seeking to imitate and obey our commander in chief Jesus Christ, constantly keeping the communication lines of prayer open with Him.

There’s an unseen world that is constantly distorting our view of what success really is. If we fail to execute the mission as He has prescribed, we will experience long term defeat disguised as small wins by falsely staking claim in the inconsequential moth ridden trophies of this world. The strategy is simple: “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith!”