The Way of Strategy (#20): Always Assess Your Opposition

Compass 1st Rule of Competition: Assess, Position and Influence

Cardinal Rule of Competition: Stay focused on your grand objective during the competition.

One who loses their emotional balance, usually become so engaged to the micro-event, that he/she surrenders their focus of the grand objective.

A leader should never lose their cool especially in the field of competition. There is no excuse.




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49ers Post game


/// A competitor who does not stay focused on the grand picture, is usually the one who is being pawned.

This game had everything, including a nice shouting match between Mike Singletary and the acknowledged dirtiest player in the league, Falcons guard and former 49er, Harvey Dahl. Dahl completely got into everyone's head including the head coach.

"I wish I had better coaching ediquette," Singletary said. "I have to get better at that. ... It was the heat of the moment."

Dahl also drew a personal foul from Takeo Spikes at the end of the game. He was living rent free in the 49ers' heads.

/// Once the opposition has misdirected you from the game, you are being pawned.

"I expected a little bit of it," said 49ers linebacker Manny Lawson, who knew Dahl when Dahl was a practice squad player. "But nothing like that."

Others downplayed the Dahl factor, with a very somber Shaun Hill saying, "That's part of the game."

Spikes attributed the loss to this. "Whatever could have gone wrong, went wrong, times two," Spikes said. That included a Michael Turner fumble in the first half that was kicked right to a Falcon.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?&entry_id=49354
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/11/fiery-mike-singletary-shouts-at-falcons-harvey-dahl-apologizes/


If the San Francisco Niners coaching staff properly assessed their opposition, they would have realized that a specific element of the opposition was going to play dirty. They should have been prepared for this worst case scenario. Click here for a news item on the mindgamer who got into Singletary's head.

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Compass View

Point #1: Assess your opposition properly and carefully.

Point #2: Plan your gameplan to exploit their strengths and weaknesses

Point #3: Plan and prepare for best and worst case scenarios.
* Ensure your contingency plays are in your script. (We presuming that you have one. Do you?)

Point #4: Consciously know what you are planning for.

Point #5: Prepare your team on your contingency moves for all best and worst case scenarios.

Point #6: Never ever let a negative event stay in your head for more than a micro moment. Remember to keep your eye on the current event while being mindfully aware of the rest of the game. Avoid the emotional negativity.

Point #7: It takes a coolhead to win a hot game.