Training Camps Are Not Just for Football Teams

All over the country, pro football camps have opened. Every team and their fan base is excited with the prospects of a winning season and trip to the playoffs. Bloggers and fantasy fans are preparing for the drafts that will come in early September. Just like the Spring, optimism runs wild.


Here in Philadelphia, all the television stations are running Eagles Training Camp specials. There is a real ebb and flow to the daily sessions. Their first draft pick signs but the middle linebacker is out for the season. McNabb looks good but the defense is struggling. All the reporters are breathless looking for a scoop. All Andy Reid wants to do is prepare his team for the season and take a look at the new players to see who stays and who goes. He is creating the foundation for what he and the team hopes is a successful season.


When do you and your organization work on your fundamentals? When do you have your training camp? My guess is you don't. Some of you have annual retreats that certainly help with team building. Some of you refresh your plans. Some of you start from scratch and claw out a vision, develop a SLOT analysis (Strengths, Limitations, Opportunities and Threats), and goals and objectives for the year. All this is critical to an organization's success. In my experience, less than 10% go to "training camp" each year. This is the time to be thinking about it. Get your team away for a couple of days and take a critical look at your organization. Take the time to prepare now rather than after the first of the year. If you do it right, it will take a couple of months of prep work to ready yourself for 2010 and finish 2009 on a positive note. Think of it as pre-season exhibition games! Time spent now preparing for 2010 will guarantee you'll be ready on January 2nd. Don't leave detail planning to football teams-get your team ready for the season ahead.