When my son first started playing football, I was an assistant coach for the local church league team. The Wildcats were made up of kids from various backgrounds and situations. As with most teams, some players had more natural skill than others. At that young age, very few of the kids had ever played ball before, so we were teaching mostly basic skills. Some kids were eager to learn, some had trepidation, and others were basically disinterested altogether. In the end, it was satisfying to see all the quick learning kids achieve in their first year of football. Going from knowing nothing of the sport–its rules or form of positions–to having a good foundation was most rewarding.
During one game about midway through the season, we were on the verge of losing our first game. It was half time, and we were behind by a score or two. After some pep talk and snack consumption, I asked one of our defensive ends, Alex, to come with me several feet away from the others, well out of hearing distance. He seemed a little down and upset that we were losing, but he was all ears; wondering what I had to tell him. I got down on a knee, looked him eye-level and said “Alex, I need you to do something.” I raised my head and looked around like I was trying to see if anyone was listening to us. Alex also looked around with me…but not really knowing why it mattered. I leaned in closer and whispered: “Alex, I need you to run a secret play. No one else knows about this. I haven’t told anyone else, and it’s just between you and me.” His eyes grew as big as half dollars as his excitement about the “ace up my sleeve” I would soon impart grew by the second. “Okay,” I resumed, “Our secret play is called POGO.” (I made the word up as fast as I could. As far as I knew, POGO meant absolutely nothing. But to Alex, it was about to change his world.) Alex was a pretty average player, nothing spectacular, but at least he was trying. After I raised my head once more to look around, Alex joined me, this time SURE that we were having a TOP SECRET discussion, and not wanting anyone else to hear the secret. “It’s VERY important that you run this play whenever I call it out. When I yell POGO, that means: go sack the quarterback!” His eyes got even bigger “REALLY!? I can do that?” He was already getting excited. “Yeah, when I call POGO, don’t touch anyone or even slow down until you get the quarterback and tackle him to the ground.” Alex’s whole body heaved in anxious excitement. “Oh man, I can’t believe it! I’m gonna nail, him coach!” I gave him a fist bump and he was off to the field.
After the kickoff and the Wildcats went on defense the first time. Alex practically stared at me from the field. I shook my head “no” for the first two plays, then on third-down, put my plan in to action. Before Alex even looked over to me, I yelled out “ALEX – POGO!” He immediately looked at me for official confirmation, and when I shook my head yes, started bouncing around like a bull preparing to charge the matador. He growled and huffed and could barely stay still. You should have seen the offensive guy across from him! He had to be intimidated, if not worried that this guy might have lost his marbles. HUT! Alex ran around the guy he normally danced with like everyone else on the line. He made a B-line to the quarterback, then with the fury and power of a raging bull, slammed him to the ground. The quarterback was in shock; as was most everybody on the field. Alex popped up off the ground quickly and raised his hands in victory. “YES!” Man, he was on top of the world. Now the opponents had to punt, and we eventually ended up winning the game.
As you can imagine, every time I yelled POGO to Alex, he lit on fire. The other teams’ players clearly began to worry every time they heard me yell “POGO.” But Alex never slowed down; he always executed his secret play perfectly.
So what changed with Alex? I wasn’t giving him any extra skill he’d either had or didn’t have before. He wasn’t using some new technique. The only thing that changed was his mind. Even though we had taught the kids how to play their position, Alex was now given permission to do MORE than just his same old ‘position’. When most plays began, the kids sort of danced with the guy in front of them; sometimes merely observing as runner passed them by. “Doing the position”–nothing more.
Alex simply felt like he’d been given “permission” to do MORE than his position. Not only did he feel like he’d been given the honor to run the play, but felt better about his performance and proud of his success.
How many of us “dance” with the guy in front of us, doing the job we think we’re supposed to be doing, no extra effort or concern…while casually watching other opportunities pass us by because we’re so focused on what we feel is our expected role? In the end, nothing or nobody has to tell us we are “allowed” to succeed. Only one small thing needs to change in order for us to rocket off the line and be successful–we need to put it in our heads that it’s okay to be successful. I know this might sound obvious or maybe even trite, but our subconscious plays a HUGE role in what we think we are “allowed” to do.
I have a phrase: “Don’t be so focused on the process that you lose sight of the goal.” Sometimes we get so caught up in daily performances and almost ritualistic actions that we lose sight of what our ultimate goal is. Is your goal to handle HR issues, run profit and loss reports, clean the entry way, send emails? Sure, these are important tasks that must be properly handled at some point, but don’t get sidetracked and end up spending more time on any individual task than it requires, while your ultimate goal–closing deals, making new relationships, finalizing contracts, fulfilling obligations–gets tossed to the end of the day IF there is time. Or even worse, “just as soon as I can get to it” Priorities are set by their value. You make time for the things you really consider important. Tell yourself POGO when you feel like you are getting bogged down in the minutia (small, precise, or trivial details) of the day.
You have permission to SUCCEED!
POGO!!!! Great word!!