SMALL IS BIG

SMALL IS BIG

NFL coach Bill Parcells, who won two Super Bowls as coach of the New York Giants, supports the notion that “even small successes can be extremely powerful in helping people believe in themselves.”

In an article published in Harvard Business Review, he continued:

In training camps, therefore, we don’t focus on the ultimate goal-getting to the Super Bowl. We establish a clear set of goals that are within immediate reach: we’re going to be a smart team; we’re going to be a well­ conditioned team; we’re going to be a team that plays hard; we’re going to be a team that has pride; we’re going to be a team that wants to win collectively; we’re going to be a team that doesn’t criticize one another.

When we start acting in ways that fulfill these goals, I make sure everybody knows it. I accentuate the positive at every possible opportunity, and at the same time I emphasize the next goal that we need to fulfill.

If we have a particularly good practice, then I call the team together and say, “We got something done today; we executed well. I’m very pleased with your work. But here’s what I want to do tomorrow. I want to see flawless special teams work. If you accomplish that, we will be ready for the game on Sunday.”

When you set small visible goals, and people achieve them, they start to get it into their heads that they can succeed. They break the habit of losing and begin to get into the habit of winning.

Former UCLA coach John Wooden, one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, once said, “When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. Don’t look for the quick, big improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens. And when it happens, it lasts.”