Know What The End Looks Like

One year, at an NFL coaches’ meeting, a young John Madden got to ask his hero Vince Lombardi a question. He wanted to ask a question that had been gnawing at him for some time:

What’s the difference between the good coaches, the average coaches, and the bad coaches? What separates them?

By his own account, Madden was expecting a rather mundane answer. He was anticipating the kind of ESPN-needs-clicks answer that remains prevalent to this day. You know the one: better coaches are better motivators, better tacticians, blah, blah, blah.

Here’s how Lombardi responded:

Madden didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the last time he ever spoke to Lombardi. The legendary coach would pass away just two months later, but Madden carried the advice with him for the rest of his own life, and his own legendary career.

“Take a play,” Madden writes in explanation, “You have to know what that play is supposed to look like when each of your eleven players runs it perfectly.”

In essence, Lombardi was explaining the process of visioning. The reason it’s called ‘a vision’ is that you can see what the end looks like. The more vivid that picture in your mind, the more you’re able to guide peoples’ attention towards the key landmarks along the way.

It’s an idea that holds true for training exercises, cultural development, and strategic planning.

It’s an idea that holds true whether you’re outcome-focused or process-oriented.

“Do you know what the end looks like?” might be one of the most powerful questions to have in your arsenal, whichever of The Four Crafts you’re working on.

Cody’s Notes

• Every part of my programming for AFL Team Canada was based on a vision of the scores being level in the last 2 minutes of the International Cup final on the MCG.

• I would have our players regularly envision the experience of playing Papua New Guinea, their lungs burning, so tired they’re almost unable to talk, in front of 20,000 people, with the game on television.

• Their skill development was based on this vision — their kicking on their non-preferred foot didn’t need to be perfect, it just needed to be good enough to dribble the ball 30-metres along the ground to buy us some time in the last 2 minutes.

• Their connection and trust was based on this vision — they needed to spend time getting in-tune with their teammates because looking and pointing might be the only communication they can muster in the last 2 minutes.

• Their jersey was designed based on this vision — if you need extra energy in the last 2 minutes, I figured a big red maple leaf right in the middle of your chest would be a symbol that could remind you why you’re here.

• In my experience, coaches spend far too long trying to figure out what the start looks like, when it’s much more useful to know what the end looks like.