7 Tips To Conquering Life’s Greatest Challenges

Is there something in your life you just can’t seem to conquer?  It’s been my experience that we all do.  Recently, the Stanford Cardinals womens basketball team ended the UConn Huskies record 90-game winning streak.

UConn appeared to be unbeatable so how did Stanford do it?  Is there anything we can learn from their victory that we can apply to our own lives?  A recent article in the January 10th edition of Sports Illustrated gives us the strategy that head coach Tara VanDerveer employed.

1. Learn For Successful Organizations – VanDerveer studied film of many successful organizations within her core competency.  She studied the Tennessee Volunteers coached by Pat Summit, the Los Angeles Lakers triangle offense, as well as UConn themselves.  Leaders, are you learning from those who are already successful in your own field?
2. Constant Adjustments – VanDerveer used the knowledge she gained to tweak her own offense.  Leaders, are you making the necessary adjustments in your church or organization to be successful?
3. Empowerment –  VanDerveer became less stringent in how her own team executed their offense. She allowed the players to be more “free-flowing”.  Leaders, are trusting and releasing your team to perform?
4. Preparation – VanDerveer and her staff were exhaustive in their film study of the Huskies.  Leaders, do you spend the majority of your time preparing or repairing?
5. Equipping – All players were given DVDs of a common opponent.  Leaders, are you giving your team the tools they need to be successful?
6. Clarity – The message from the coaching staff was simple – “Don’t let these teams do what they like to do.”  Leaders, are you constantly casting vision and making your message clear?
7. Perspective – Though this was a big win for Stanford, each member of team took this as a learning opportunity to prepare them for future success in the championship tournament.  Leaders, do you keep your team focused on the big picture?

I once had a boss who if you asked him about the competition, he would respond with these legendary words – “Why are you asking about the competition?  You don’t even know what we do!”  Well, Stanford coach VanDerveer would tell us that it’s not one or the other.  You need to fully understand your competition while simultaneously implementing a plan for improvement and personal growth.  She would say that we need both…and she would be right.

Leaders,do you agree and if so, tell us tips on how you conquer the competitive things in your life.

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