Dear Reader,

I did not expect to get a #leadershipinthewild lesson from the NFL playoff games last weekend.

But like leadership, the stakes were high: win-or-go-home.

There was emotional baggage going into it (since 2016, Bears have won only 3 games in this division rivalry, compared to Packers 17. Oof.)

My almost-11 year-old twins begged to stay up for the entire game, which started at 8:15 p.m. ET and I acquiesced.

I was out with friends during the first half, and I kept checking the score and cringing. Bears down 7-3. Bears down 14-3. Bears down 21 at the half.

Ouch.

The Bears came out after halftime and just started grinding it out. They scored a field goal: 21-6 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was unreal–they kept grinding, grinding, closing the deficit, until they took the lead with 90 seconds to go.

Final Score: Bears 31, Packers 27.

After the game, the quarterback Caleb Williams was asked how they did it, and he said:

“We understand that it’s 60 minutes of football. We understand and we know who we are... so you keep going, keep fighting… And when the clock hits zero, you’ll look up and see who wins.”

January is the halftime(ish) of the school year. What a powerful mid-academic year reminder for all leaders. (from the Bears quarterback of all people–#leadershipinthewild!)

Commentators kept saying before the game the Bears’ plan was to score early and often. That... did not happen.

It made me think about the plans leaders make in the spring for next year–or over the summer for the next school year. You try your best, they seem solid and you’re pretty convinced they’ll work.

But that doesn't always happen.

Maybe you’re feeling like I imagine the Bears did at halftime–looking at the scoreboard, like “Yikes. This is not what we wanted, not what we expected, and there’s a long way to go to get what we want.”

Here’s the thing Caleb reminded us of: halftime isn’t the outcome. It’s feedback.

The year isn’t over yet.

If you’re feeling like the Bear at this point in the year here’s what I’d do if I were you.

1. Name the “score.” Where are you down? (e.g., student engagement, staff retention, reading proficiency, etc.)
2. Do a quick assessment.
   • Make a list with three columns: what’s working, what’s not working yet and questions/need to know more.
   • Be brutally honest. Focus it only on what you identified in number 1 for now.
   • Consider asking others who have a different perspective (closer to the work, or with a specific expertise, etc.) to do the same.
   • Better yet, take time in a meeting to do this–send the prompt to folks at least 24 hours before, ask them to think about and then come ready to put allll the ideas on a chart paper or google doc. This helps you get an exhaustive list of issues and align as a team.
3. Consider your options. If you do what you always do, you get what you always get–and at halftime you still have plenty of options. If you want those options to to be different, consider:
   • What could be dialed up? (e.g. Could you dial up more observations, walkthroughs, data review–so you can act more quickly? Could some people become more hands-on?)
   • What could be dialed down? (e.g., Could few people participate–so you can nurture a few bright spots? Could you reduce something that’s getting in the way of people’s capacity–like canceling meetings or devoting staff meeting time to some of the work?)
   • Make a few key adjustments to address some of the issues and see what happens.
4. Commit to trying your best–and learning. Learn from them–along the way and when the game/school year is over.

If you need ideas on where you might be losing traction or trust, check out my change management cheat sheet here that has 9 do-this-not-that ideas to share.

Last step–Bear Down! (This is Chicago speak for applying intense effort, focus and pressure, from their fight song!)

Seriously, you’ve got this. It’s tough, but so are you. It’s only halftime–anything can happen.

Stuck? Wondering about something?

Write back and let me know–I read and respond to every email I get.

Go Bears,

Beth

ps. If you know someone who could use this “resetting at halftime guide”, please forward this to them and spread the love. They can subscribe here if they want more info like this!

Interested in leveling up your leadership?

📈 Want to level up your leadership? Check out our free 30 minute interactive roundtables with actionable, practical insights and tools for your leadership. ➡️ Register here!

📞 Have a leadership challenge on your mind? Book a consultation call here--I'm happy to help!