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By now most of you know that I grew up in Kentucky. Like most boys in Kentucky, one of the things I did in my youth was to play basketball and dream of someday being a Wildcat. Now almost everyone knows that in basketball you have a round basket situated some 10 ft. from the ground with a net hanging from it and the objective is to shoot the basketball in such a way that it goes into the basket and comes out though the net. This successful effort results in a goal (score) and the team with the highest score at the end of the game wins. Rules will allow baskets that equal one, two or three points score depending on how the goal occurred. Basketball Coaches spend a great deal of their time teaching young players how to get the ball to go into the basket for your team and how to defend so as to prevent the other team from getting the ball into theirbasket. Simple concept, with just a few rules like: you can dribble but not double dribble, you can run but you cannot travel, you can guard but you cannot foul and all activity must take place in-bounds. When I was a freshman in high school we got a new basketball coach who introduced some new tools for learning how to play basketball better. The one that seemed most foreign to my teammates and me was this contraption which Coach placed on top of the basket. This "device" prevented the basketball from going into the basket for a goal. This seemed very odd because the whole point was to get the ball into the basket. It ends up, that Coach was very smart, because this contraption was designed to enhance our ability at one of the important skills needed to win basketball games. Truth is that when someone attempted to get the basketball into the basket they were not successful every time. The action of the ball bouncing off the basket or the backboard without going into the basket is called a "rebound". The rule is that the team which gets a rebound gets to keep the ball and then attempt to get it into their own basket. As you can see, rebounding is an important factor in the game of basketball. Coach had just made use of an obstacle to teach us valuable lessons on how to be effective rebounders. There were lessons on how to block out the opposing player, on how to anticipate the bounce of the ball off the rim, on how to tip the ball back into the basket if it was yours, or how to tip it away from the basket and to one of your teammates if not. In the hospitality business (like the game of basketball) we have goals or objectives we want to reach. If we fall short of achieving those goals we have rebounds and if we are well schooled in rebounding we have a greater chance of achieving the goals on the next attempt. There are times when an associate or a team of associates fail to achieve the goal established and neither you or the associate/team has a clear idea as to why. There are at least seven questions we may ask to assist in the determination of the cause of the missed goal or objective. [a] TASK CLARITY: Coach: "Tell me, what are you trying to accomplish?" --- Me: "Well, I was attempting to throw the ball up near the basket so that John could slam-dunk it."--- Coach: "Had we not determined during the time-out that we were going to run some time off the clock?" [b] TASK PRIORITY: Coach: "There are a lot of demands on everyone's time, tell me how you see the importance of your various duties? --- Me: "Well, first I have to do my chores, then I have to do my homework and finally I have to practice shooting free throws." --- Coach: "You will make more free throws if you can see the basket! Why don't you try this, do your chores as soon as you get home, shoot some free throws before it gets dark and then once it's dark, do your homework." [c] COMPETENCE: Coach: "Will you show me how you have been practicing free throws at home?" --- Me: OK, this is what I do! I hold the ball between my hands and them bring it back over my head like this, then I jump up and throw it toward the backboard." --- Coach: "Using that method how many times out of 10 attempts do you get to go into the basket?" --- Me: "About 2 out of 10!" [d] OBSTACLES: Coach: "Something seems to be hindering your progress, can you show or tell me what you think it is? ---Me: "Coach, you have been making me shoot free throws with my right hand and would not listen to me when I attempted to tell you that I am left handed!" [e] REWARD FOR FAILURE: Coach: "Can you tell me what you think should happen if you do not succeed?" --- Me: "Coach, I think that you should continue to let me play so that I can learn to do it the way you want me to!" --- Coach: "Why don't you go over and sit down on the end of that bench and try to get it into your head that learning occurs at practice, not in the middle of the game." [f] PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK: Coach: "Have I discussed the progress you have made often enough to be of assistance?" --- Me: "Yes Coach, you have told me over and over again to put on the jockstrap and I just keep forgetting it!" [g] ROLE-PERSON MISMATCH: Coach: "We can't seem to be able to get the ball into the center when Jerry is playing that position, why don't we put someone taller in that position and see if things improve?" --- Me: "Ah, Coach, I know that I am only 4'7", but I do have long arms!" FINAL THOUGHT We have attempted to keep the approach to this subject very light, however it is a very serious subject. Sometimes we have to make points in different ways. This offering was about obstacles and may need a role reversal to get the point across. [d] OBSTACLES: Me: "I really need some help with this Goal Setting process particularly the part about overcoming obstacles! --- Coach: "Go away kid, I have some really important stuff that I have to do! Here, take this whistle and go play with it! |
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Jerry Sikes, RRP / CHA, is President of Professional Resort Operators, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. He has 35 years in the Hospitality Industry / 25 years in Timesharing, and is the current Co-Chairman of ARDA Arizona as well as Chairman of the Arizona Timeshare Management Association. Jerry is a frequent guest speaker regionally and nationally on all aspects of Timeshare Management and a frequent contributor of articles for industry publications. Email: boyjerry@cox.net Phone 480-947-3300 Fax 480-947-6853 Web site: http://www.protimeshare.com |
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