So, here’s an industry that has completely embraced stick figure strategies: Football. Yes, the Other American Pasttime. Also a billion-dollar industry.
I remember watching John Madden during SuperBowl broadcasts and Monday Night Football games. He’d whip out the pen and start drawing these simple, shaky figures on the screen to explain the play that just went down, or a play he thought the team was about to make. Immediately, you knew what he was talking about, and when the play unfolded you could follow it because of what he described in his drawing.
Could you imagine if John Madden broke down a play by sharing sheets of the NFL playbook? Nobody could read all that in the seconds he had to break down this complex topic. For simplifying information and generating instant understanding, Madden went for the pen and pad of paper.
So do many sports teams. And we’re not talking about flag football here: we’re talking about games where substantial careers – and profits – are on the line. And in those situations, the best way to ensure that a team is on the same page is to draw the play out in front of them. Yes, they’ve got a common understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and parts involved. Yes, they use call numbers to signal certain plays. AND they leverage the power of simple visuals – created in real time – to make gosh darned sure that their team is all on the same page… and going for the win.
Do football franchises use stick figure strategic planning when running their businesses? I’m guessing probably not. However, they are using it for every critical moment of the game itself. So why the disconnect? Why not leverage a process that clearly working for their games? After all, business is simply another type of game.
Tell you what. If any NFL team would like to try a stick figure strategic plan for their business franchise… even if it’s translating your existing plan into a stick figure version… talk to me. When you find yourself exceeding your business goals as a result, I’ll totally take some SuperBowl tickets as a thank you! ;^)
I cannot wait to see what you draw forth,
