Have you ever wondered how the Great Champions of Business, Sport and Life seem to make it look all so easy?
But, that’s s not always the case .
Sometimes the greatest of the great get it wrong.
Take Tiger Wood’s who held the World Number One Ranking as recently as 2014, but by December ’14 his world ranking had slipped to 32nd.
And on turning 40 on December 30th 2015 – his ranking had plunged to 416th.
Closer to home, South Africa’s Hashim Amla, who averages over fifty in both the test and one day arena, ended a bleak 2015 with a batting average of less than 15 in his last 15 visits to the crease.
But, then he bounced back courageously to notch a double ton at the News Years Test Match in Cape Town.
Great champions do that. They bounce back.
Form is temporary – Class in permanent.
But , what they also know is that talent and technique can only count for so much – then it’s all about what’s in one’s
Heart and Head
It’s called mindset – and mindset is dictated by one’s inner game plan – called one’s personal brand.
Branding is Everything – Richard Branson
Here are the three simple steps that great champion’s take to build powerful inner game plans which act as their compass in good times and their scaffolding in bad times.
They are the 3P’s of Personal ‘Inner’ Branding.
Purpose, Priority & Performance
PURPOSE: What’s my purpose in life?
Those who have a strong enough why – will always find the how – Viktor Frankl
Purpose is found when one’s passion meets the universe’s need – and one gets well remunerated and rewarded for sharing it.
The great sporting champions who enjoy sustained success and significance understand their purpose as……
To Entertain, Educate and Enrich the lives of others through their sporting genius.
Clearly articulating one’s purpose is the first key step to ” Unlocking and Unleashing ” one’s true potential in life
And it’s the key driver of longevity.
PRIORITY: What are my BIG FIVE Priorities in life?
The most important thing I have learnt in life is to focus my energy on what is important in life – Bill Gates
Priorities dictate one’s destiny – and without doubt – getting one’s priorities right– is one of the most important actions one can take to create balance and ensure smooth sailing in life.
Yet, it’s surprising how most people cannot clearly articulate their ‘Big Five” priorities in life.
Now that’s tantamount to flying a Boeing 747 without radar, or sailing a boat without a rudder.
At some point one will always find oneself in some kind of trouble.
The great champions prioritize life.
That’s because clear priorities make the journey of life far easier to navigate.
They know when to say ‘NO’, and hereby ensure that their game plans do not fill up with ‘the wrong stuff’
It’s a word Hashim Amla should have deployed when he was asked to take over the captaincy role in 2014.
He became
The Reluctant Captain
And without a focused priority being placed on his batting , his form quickly dissipated
Naturally my decision to stand down is not an easy one but the more I think about it the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully focused batsman and senior player at this time of rebuilding our team – Hashim Amla
Although each and every one of us is unique and on our very own journey through life, common priority patterns of the great champions do exist – and they can be modelled
Here they are to help you articulate YOURS for 2016.
Tweak them as you wish. Make them fit your style.
Priority Number One: BRAND YOU. BRAND YOURSELF
Priority Number Two: YOUR LIFE PURPOSE: ‘THE WHY ‘
Priority Number Three: YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS
Priority Number Four: YOUR HEALTH & WEALTH
Priority Number Five: YOUR DESIRED LIFESTYLE
Now you might be thinking that most people will automatically place FAMILY as their PRIORITY NUMBER ONE.
BUT, consider this wisdom:
The Great Champions of life recognize that self -interest is central to one’s human make up, but count the greatest gain as the goodwill of fellow humankind – Bob Bulford
Put another way they focus first and foremost on themselves, which then allows them to positively impact on the lives of others.
Warren Buffet, who is commonly regarded as one of the world’s greatest investors , shares the following :
My advice ? Invest in yourself .
PERFORMANCE: What are my TOP THREE PERFORMANCE GOALS IN 2016?
Simplicity is the ultimate form of Sophistication – Leonardo da Vinci
The Great Champions value simplicity as it’s the essence behind the key ingredient of success, namely FOCUS.
They keep it simple, setting and aligning no more than THREE clear current year performance goals.
Putting the 3P’s in place, puts one firmly on the road to human great – with an inner game plan which is
Made of The Right Stuff.
- Rob’s new book: The Game Changers: Good to Great to Greater is available FREE to readers as an instant digital download on his site : www.thegameplan.co.za
