Surprise: Enhancing Committee Meetings for Sports Clubs
Introduce innovative and unpredictable strategies to maintain a competitive edge and drive effective decision-making applying the military principle of Surprise.
In grassroots sports clubs, committee meetings are crucial for strategic planning and decision-making. By incorporating the ADF Military principle of Surprise, clubs can introduce innovative approaches and maintain a competitive edge. This principle emphasises the element of unpredictability to achieve strategic advantages.
Understanding the Principle
Surprise in a military context involves striking the enemy at a time, place, or in a manner for which they are unprepared. It leverages the element of unpredictability to create opportunities and disrupt the opponent’s plans. For grassroots sports clubs, this means introducing unexpected ideas and strategies to keep the club dynamic and ahead of potential challenges.
Applying the Principle to Committee Meetings
Introduce New Ideas: Regularly bring fresh and innovative ideas to the table. This keeps the meetings dynamic and encourages creative thinking among committee members.
Avoid Anchoring: Avoid anchoring by have everyone in the meeting have their solution pre-determined and then have them justify why they thought that.
Conduct a pre-mortum: The pre-mortum is where prior to committing to a project or idea, look at it in a year’s time and discuss why the idea failed. This is also good to disarm “yes”-men and challenging assumptions.
Vary Meeting Formats: Occasionally change the format of the meetings. For example, try holding brainstorming sessions, workshops, or even informal gatherings. This can stimulate different types of discussions and keep members engaged.
Unexpected Agenda Items: Add a surprise agenda item to each meeting. This could be a new opportunity, a challenge to solve, or a guest speaker. It keeps members on their toes and ready to adapt.
Leverage Technology: Use new tools and technologies to enhance meetings. This could include virtual reality for planning, new project management software, or innovative communication platforms.
Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Invite different members or external experts to provide their insights. This can introduce new viewpoints and ideas that the committee may not have considered.
Plan for Contingencies: Always have a backup plan. If something unexpected happens, being prepared can turn a potential setback into an opportunity.
Benefits of Surprise in Meetings
Enhanced Creativity: Introducing new ideas and varying formats can stimulate creativity and innovation.
Increased Engagement: Unexpected elements keep members interested and engaged.
Improved Problem-Solving: Diverse perspectives and new approaches can lead to more effective solutions.
Strategic Advantage: Staying unpredictable can give the club a strategic edge over potential challenges.
Conclusion
By adopting the principle of Surprise, grassroots sports clubs can make their committee meetings more dynamic and effective. This approach not only enhances creativity and engagement but also helps the club stay ahead of potential challenges.
For more insights on implementing military principles in your club’s operations, reach out to Mission Command at info@missioncomd.com.au. Let’s work together to make your meetings more effective and impactful!
Prepare To Move. Move now
As we navigate through the challenges of running a sports club, your involvement is more crucial than ever. Whether you’re a parent, a local business owner, or a sports enthusiast, there are numerous ways to contribute to keeping children active in sports. Sponsor, volunteer or spread the word by sharing this post, you can help get every child involved in a sports team.