2018 Game Plan Review

I’m two days late with my final November post. I have decided for December that I’m going to review my articles under each of my 4 headings – thinking, feeling, saying, doing to make some general observations / define key learnings. I’m looking forward to it as it’s been a huge year of change and progress after an incredibly tough 2017. Before I do that, I decided for my last post of November (doing) to review the personal and professional game plans I set for myself on the flight back from England on December 31, 2017. It can be sobering reviewing game plans, but it reflects the current reality whether positive or negative, so it is what it is. It’s a great exercise to prepare for what’s next. After all, you might as well start from the truth.

The game plan post from 12/31 is here, in which I linked to a template I created which you’re welcome to use / refine. If you completed one you can refer to your own version. I have only inserted the image from the top half of the template that reflects the broader framework / context (the what and the why) that should have remained consistent throughout the year. The bottom half was more focused on the how (strategies, actions) which would have evolved throughout the year from the initial template. For both templates at the very bottom is a section for core principles and focus themes. For me, these were the same for both my personal and professional templates. So, I’ve included those at the bottom here too.

Structure for Review:

A) Order of Review:

I used the same order as how each area was input into the template, rather than taking them from top down. This is only due to the connectivity and flow between some of the content.

1. Dream: This is long term, aspirational and doesn’t necessarily have to be measurable / tangible.
2. Ideal 5 Year Destination: A tangible but aspirational achievement you would be proud of
3. Purpose: The ongoing driver that motivates you
4. Single Biggest Objective (2018): What was the one thing you absolutely had to get achieve
5. Philosophy: Part of your spirit
6. Focus: What’s front of mind
7. I know I will have achieved this objective in 2018 if I am: feeling / being / having / doing

B) Give each a score / 10.

C) Answer these 3 questions:

1. What got me here?
2. What got in the way?
3. What was missing?

You can then dig deeper. Out of questions 2 & 3, which of these were in your control or influence? What, if anything could you have done differently to improve the outcome? Which things were not in you control? Recognize them, park them. For purposes of this post, I have consolidated my comments for both templates as there was a lot of alignment between my personal and professional game plans.

2018 Game Plan Review:

Overall Score: 8/10

What got me here:

I would say first and foremost, having a clearly defined set of principles at the start of the year and holding myself accountable to them, really helped achieving an overall positive outcome. So, I looked at how I applied these throughout the year, as follows:

1. Find Freedom & Flow: Freedom was a critical component of focus as at the start of the year as I was separated, on hold and awaiting the outcome of whether I would be getting divorced. Furthermore, I was continually buried in work with Play Rugby. Both situations, required freedom in my head-space to provide mental & emotional balance, as much as physical freedom. One of the ways I achieved that was to ensure that I engaged in flow activities that were all encompassing, cleared my head and enabled me to be completely in the moment such as hard workouts, playing rugby or riding my Harley.

2. Demonstrate Presence, Patience, Persistence: Being in the moment and not judging, sometimes not reacting and taking deep breaths, never giving up on something I believed in until belief was no longer realistic, then being strong enough to let it go. All these behaviors helped me overcome adversity and enjoy positive moments personally. Professionally, Play Rugby I will always believe in, so handing it over to a new Exec Director who will demonstrate the same level of persistence is a way to let go and still maintain this belief.

3. Exhibit Resilience: Running a non-profit with minimal if any margins, is not for the faint of heart. Both personally and professionally, 2018 required some really hard decisions and a refinement of focus, to simplify the model and future potential for 2019 onwards. I wrote about resilience here and certainly it's a critical trait for us all and one many of the kids in our program learn, in part, through the program. for 2017 in particular resilience was hugely critical and reflects my philosophy which is Go Forward and something I hope will be a legacy for Play Rugby’s participants for years to come.

4. Manage Mindset (mindfulness): I have read, reflected and written so much for the last 18 months, which has been hugely helpful in being more mindful. That, combined with physical activity and flow experiences has enabled me to overcome some of the toughest emotional challenges in my life and remain positive, grounded, future focused & rational.

5. Embrace Connections: Friends and family have been hugely important and supportive – just always available. I have also enjoyed making new connections and establishing some new relationships personally and professionally. I wrote about the power of human connection [here]. It’s certainly a core component I always want to add vitality to my life. I am particularly lucky to be in a new relationship in which I am encouraged to be the best version of myself every day and appreciated wholeheartedly for being me.

6. Show Appreciation & Gratitude: I am truly grateful to so many people in supporting my personal and professional endeavors. I do tell people, just perhaps not often or thoughtfully enough.

7. Take on some F*ck its! Yep, did a few of these. Nothing crazy though – rather just awesome experiences, some explorations to new cities – some alone, some with friends, weekend trips on the Harley with a new passenger, competing in rugby tournaments with close friends. You can always make time for these things – it’s just a matter of carving it out, or planning it. It’s a choice.

What got in the way:

Allowing something or someone else to define who you are and how you feel can limit your ability to be your best self. That has been true for me both personally and professionally. However, in both instances I have been able to achieve physical separation in a very thoughtful way and have managed the emotional connection so that it represents a more reasonable proportion of my emotional tank and overall wellness. At times you can find yourself handling things by falling below (drinking too much - too often, not working out enough, distracting yourself from reality, seeking connection aimlessly) rather than rising above (being healthy, physically active, reading, reflecting, sharing, being yourself, being open, etc). I have fallen below before, this year I did not (other than maybe drinking too often).

Professionally, my full-time role with USA Rugby is completely in line with my purpose and dream but it does potentially change the 5-year destination. I may change the destination to realign with the current role, albeit the documented destination above is something I still wholeheartedly believe in and would support as a secondary track. Maybe I develop some new connections, join a board, inspire someone else to take it on, even though it isn’t a core focus on my day-to-day role. Taking on the ‘new’ role with USA Rugby part-time from June also limited my capacity (time and energy) to be able to build the resources I would have liked for Play Rugby. This is still a core focus through year-end and something I will have an emotional connection to, until I see things have progressed to that stage.

What was missing:

Personally: I am very proud of where I am emotionally, as just 12 months ago I was lost in a relationship- on hold, hoping, with no control over the outcome other than how I acted. Now I feel happy, lucky, and fulfilled. The missing piece was having a substantial window of emotional independence in between. Even though I was physically separated and single for 12 months, I only allowed my mind to be free and open to a different future, for a few weeks once the divorce paperwork had been formally submitted. I had been working on myself throughout and had gotten to a place where I finally felt comfortable being alone and doing my own thing, I was quite content and while certainly very upset about the outcome, having a clear outcome, set me free. It was during this time I was introduced to someone else and I’ve been happily allowing that relationship to unfold, ever since.

Professionally: Overall my move to have a national level impact with USA Rugby has been an incredible and unexpected outcome for 2018. I actually couldn’t have designed a better opportunity to drive growth in the sport I love. The need for me to take on this role part-time in 2018 however, created an opportunity cost to Play Rugby in terms of my bandwidth. At times between the two roles I was working 60+ hours a week and it wasn’t enough for either role. Clearly it also wasn’t sustainable but that was ok for me, as I knew it was a finite window of time. The missing and ideal outcome however was being able to raise game-changing levels of funds for Play Rugby over the usual work-hard-to-get normal level of funds. So, the fundraising effort still continues for the remaining 30 days of my tenure! Here's the link to our new Legacy Fund, if you're in a position to support / share, thank-you.

What's next?

I'll take a look at my articles for 2018 and pull out some key themes & learnings around things I've been thinking, feeling, saying and doing, which I'll share this month. I'll then take a look at the Game Plan template, perhaps make some adjustments and then draft up a 2019 Game Plan late Dec / early Jan (which I may or may not post). 2018 was a year of change, repairing the engine and setting the GPS for a different direction. 2019 is going to be a year of growth, fueling up the engine, adding the catalytic convertor and accelerating down the road. What was your score for 2018? What got your there? What got in the way? What was missing? What can you still get done before 2019?

For 2018 I’m writing about things I’m thinking, feeling, saying and doing - and why - whether in the present or from the past. This makes my writing real and relevant (to me at least) as a way to refine and process my thoughts. I hope also it’s an easy, engaging & meaningful resource for you that could even save you some time & energy if you’re in a similar situation.

Please: Follow / Share / Like / Comment

@MarkGriffRugby @VitaSportUSA @PlayRugbyUSA @USARugby

#Neverstop #ElevateHumanity #GoForwardTogether #EaglesUnited #Reflection #GamePlan #Change