The Game Within the Game
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”
- Yogi Berra
The Super Bowl lived up to the hype. That was a great way to end the season. The two best teams playing a game for four quarters. If you’re an Eagles fan it didn’t end like you wanted it to. If you’re a Chief’s fan you went to sleep happy.
I’ve been to two Super Bowls. In one we were the better team on that night. The other not so much. The memories I have of the two games are small. I remember my family joining me on the field to celebrate the one we won. I don’t remember a lot of the games that I played in or have been a part of as a coach. I vaguely remember winning. I can’t forget the losses.
As a young coach I thought my mission in life was to win championships. As time went on and I became more focused on preparing for the game rather than the outcome, I came to understand it wasn’t winning championships that was my reason for coaching. My “WHY” for coaching, was always the process of helping those around me become championship people. Not just on the playing field, but in all aspects of their lives. Football was just a vehicle that took me to what I was supposed to be doing. The game within the game.
The number of emails and texts from former students and players telling me about the positive affect I had on their lives cemented my belief that coaching is more than wins and losses. To be clear I always coached to win. But during the process I interjected teachable moments that related to the game, but also would help them in their life after sports. It was “the game within the game”.
Sports are a microcosm of life. The passion you need to be successful, the time you spend preparing to be the best, the hours you have practiced for that turning-point moment, the act of being in the center of the moment and performing at your highest level. Finally, the perseverance one needs to have to continue to move forward no matter if you win or lose. These are the teachable moments. These five points – Passion – Preparation – Practice – Performance – Perseverance are the tools that were taught within the training process to help them to live a champions life, a life of significance. It was the game within the game!
THE GAME
I have enjoyed ESPN arguing that the defensive holding call was a bad call. They keep showing an angle where you don’t see the “hold”. Instead, they show the angle where the DB just lighting had his hands on the receiver. The endzone shot clearly shows “the grab”. Even the DB who was called for the penalty said he did it. Paraphrasing a line from Mark Twain: “Don’t ruin a good story with the facts.” This has become the normal faire of the media these days. (Thanks for the warning, George Orwell). But, ESPN wants to keep the game alive. In today’s world it just can’t be “a good game” it needs to have controversy. I’ll bet you that if the Eagles had won, ESPN would be showing the “defensive holding” from the endzone angle and saying the “non-call cost the Chiefs the game”.
What I saw was two really good quarterbacks play really good football. I’m not much for hyperbole, I’ll leave that for the “talking heads”.
The game within the game revealed a young defensive coordinator who was a hot topic for a possible head coaching job, get schooled by a veteran coach who kept his eye on the ball (or the game). How does the best defense in the NFL get 38 points put on it if the team was prepared? I saw this once when the top college offense got beat 13 – 9 by their rivals who had a .500 season. Someone didn’t finish the season.
INSIDE THE GAME
Scotty Conley taught me to stop watching the football during football games. He showed me that one can get too focused on the result rather than understanding the process that produced the result. If you watch the receiver catch the ball and run untouched into the endzone you only saw the tip of the iceberg. So, instead of watching the "show" we need to watch the “process" that made the “show” possible. The game within the game.
While you are watching the flight of the ball during the big pass play, I am watching the blocking by the offensive line. I’m watching how a defensive end ran too far up field allowing the quarterback to slide into an open window, which pulled the LB down to stop the QB from scrambling for a big gain, rather than continue carrying the receiver to the next level (carrying = staying in coverage) which led to the big play.
I’m watching the safety that was supposed to pick up the linebacker’s coverage, in the deep zone, get fooled by watching the QB’s eyes, so he runs out of his zone, trying to make a play.
I’m watching the TE alter his route so that he doesn’t bring his defender into the window that QB is looking to throw in to.
I’m watching the running back chip on the best pass rusher and then proceed to clearing the middle zone, thus giving the QB more time to slide into his throwing window.
After the catch, I watched as a second wide receiver threw his body into two defenders, making the block that allowed the receiver, who caught the ball, to go untouched and score the touchdown.
You saw one player making a catch. I saw a dozen battles that led to that catch. I’ll watch the catch during the 5 replays of the play, all from different angles. But I watched the game within the game.
OUTSIDE THE GAME
Here is your teachable moment.
When you stop watching the “show” right in front of your eyes and start to watch the actions of others around the “game” you will find the truth. I’m not talking about sports here. I’m talking about your professional and your personal life. There is always a “show” and there are always “gamers” trying to get something by you. The game within the game.
I described myself in Move or Die as a “professional watcher”. That’s what a coach is. They teach and then they watch to see if their teaching was understood and was performed correctly. If not, they teach some more. But they must be watching all the time.
When I go out to eat, or to a party or go to a sports bar with friends, I am always watching the people around me. I watch to see who is in my environment. How they act and how they make decisions. This all matters. I quickly understand who they are and how I can interact (connect or avoid) with them. (I’m also looking for possible exits!)
Here is an example of how some miss the game within the game.
I spoke at a clinic at a college recently and one of the young assistants and I got into a conversation after my presentation. We talked about his responsibilities and about his day to work load. He said the worst part of the day was having to sit in athletic department meetings. I asked him why this was the worst. He said, “All the people do is talk and talk about things that I don’t care about.”
What an opportunity.
I jumped right in. I asked him, “Do you aspire one day to be a head coach?” He was very adamant about his plans to climb the professional later and become a head coach. I followed his response with if he would have to deal with these “boring” issues, such as: Enrollment, Housing, Meal Plans, Tutors, Class Scheduling. He relented and said, “I guess so.”
“You guess so”? I fired back. “Did you know all the people at the meeting?” He knew “some” of them. Again, I attacked, “Some of them?” He dropped his head. He thought he was speaking to a “kind uncle” … he was wrong. I was the lion and he was the wildebeest who just came to the understanding that this wasn’t his day.
I told him that every meeting will teach you who people are without ever having to meet them face to face. Each person who put their personalities and their agenda on the table when they are in a meeting. And you don’t have to say a word. All you have to do is watch. It’s the game within the game.
PROFESSIONAL WATCHERS GUIDE TO MEETINGS
In a meeting you will find these types of personalities:
The Laugher: These are the people who always laughs too loud and too long at the boss’s jokes that aren’t funny at all. These people are the butt kissers. Beware of them. They will support you until it comes time to stand up with you in front of the boss. They will drop their head because they don’t want to look “wrong” in the eyes of the butt they kiss.
Chihuahua’s (All Bark / No Bite): These people have all the great ideas outside the meeting room. They have strong feelings and will be the first to tell you what is wrong with the organization and what they would do to make it right. Outside of the meeting. But when the boss asks for any feedback, they don’t say a word.
Drum Major: These are the people who want to throw a parade for themselves every time they do their job. They will make you sit in meetings as they go through slide after slide of a power point presentation explaining how they saved the company two-cents by switching pens. Of course, the shipping of the pens cost more than the old pens, so there is an aggregate loss of three-cents per pen. They never have that slide in their stack.
The Hind Sighter: Always has the right answer AFTER the project is over. They’ll say, “I knew they wouldn’t go for that.” AFTER the deal falls through when everyone, including themselves, had signed off on the proposal.
Doom & Gloomer: These are the people who only present the negatives to everyone’s proposed ideas. They never had an original idea in their life. The only time they are not negative is when the boss has an idea. This idea, no matter how ridiculous, will be met with a thumbs-up, a wink and a nod. When this plan fails, they will be the first to say they knew it wouldn’t work, but not to the boss.
The Mute: They never say anything during a meeting. This way they can always “be right”. If the plan works, they can high-five everyone, because they were never, technically, against it. If it doesn’t work, they can say, “I was never for it.”
The Parrot: These are the people who have never had a unique thought. When asked for their opinion they will regurgitate everything the boss just said. They are smart enough to change some of the words, but in the end, they are just copying what the boss said. Unfortunately, the boss buys into this stuff because, “they’re speaking my language.”
The Victim: These are the people who are always suffering. They either want you to believe they work too hard or they don’t have enough support, or someone in the building is doing them wrong. They relish their position. They throw it up in every meeting how they need more time, people, or money to do less than every one else on staff. All the while they are the ones who leave early, come in late and take two-hour lunches.
The Legacy: These are the people that are either related to the owners or have been with the organization for a long time. They are the masters of office politics. Any time they speak they have stolen an idea from someone else. They are the snitches of the company.
The Facilitator: These are the people who help the organization run as smoothly as possible. Most facilitators never speak in meetings. They take notes and help tie all the loose ends into the big picture. These people are the ones who do the long- and short-range planning and keep the boss on his schedule. They always have the answer when the boss needs to be reminded of what is happening. Their weakness is that they are too close to the flame. They don’t feel they are there to give their opinion, only to grease the rails to keep the machine moving forward. They will feel your pain, but will shrug their shoulders and drop the bosses name to make sure you comply as the train is about to come off the tracks.
The Sage: These are the people who listen closely and will show support or opposition to plans that they don’t agree with, even if they come from the boss. These people will not last long in the organization. The don’t play office politics. But they are the first person the boss comes to when there are issues, because they are problem solvers. They are hated by others in the meeting because they are well liked by the workers. The others will eventually push this person out.
The Soldiers: These are the people who don’t have time to waste in meetings. They are the ones who do the work every day to keep the machine running. They don’t play office politics well. They will tell the truth as they see it. If they were wrong, they learn and move on. If they were right, they will learn and move on. Soldiers don’t get along with many people in the building because they know who each member is. These people are like sages. They are problem solvers and truth tellers. Everyone thinks they can live without them, until you need to double the staff to do the job they were doing.
ALWAYS BE LEARNING
Every opportunity to watch people work is an opportunity to learn who they are. You can watch the boss, but then you will only see one aspect of the entire picture. Much like watching a football game, the boss is the “show”. This is important when you are starting out. To be successful in the organization you need to watch the other aspects of the game. This will tell you who you can trust and how much time is left on your professional clock. The game within the game.
After a while the “show” (the boss) will become predictable in their day-to-day reactions and interactions. You owe three things to the boss. Loyalty. Work Ethic. The Truth. When the boss no longer respects any one or all of these traits, it is time for you to move on to another opportunity. It’s the game within the game.
The key to success is understanding who is around you. You learn who can be trusted and who you must be leery of, by watching the “process”. Whether it be someone who you come into contact with every day or someone who works in a different city, state or country. Make sure your perception of an individual doesn’t come from one interaction. Make a study of each person as they present themselves in private and in public displays every opportunity you get.
Eventually you will understand the process of what makes the organization run, why it is successful in some things, but can also fail over time. It’s not the top of the pyramid that fails first, it is the foundation that crumbles that leads the pyramid to collapse on itself.
To understand this, you must understand the game within the game.
Have an amazing week!
