Goals & Process
Something isn’t working. Or at least it’s not working yet, and the question you’re sitting with is: do we adjust or do we trust?
That’s one of the most important questions in coaching and in competition. And it doesn’t have a universal answer. But there are ways to think about it that produce better decisions than going purely on instinct.
Read this passage slowly.
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 19:21 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
Many plans. The Lord’s purpose prevails. There’s a wisdom here about holding plans with enough humility to adjust them when the evidence calls for it — while remaining committed to the underlying purpose even when the specific plan needs to change.
The distinction between adjusting and abandoning comes down to what you’re changing. When the adjustment is to the specific approach — a different drill, a different lineup, a different preparation structure — that’s good coaching. The purpose is still intact. The plan is being updated based on new information.
When the abandonment is of the underlying purpose — the commitment to preparation quality, the culture standard, the values the program is built on — that’s a different thing. And it almost never produces better results. The team that abandons its process under pressure doesn’t usually find a better one. They usually find drift.
Ask the question this way: what specifically is not working, and is it the approach or the underlying commitment? If the approach needs updating — update it, without drama, with honest assessment. If the underlying commitment is being questioned — that’s a culture conversation, not a process conversation.
The question is not just what to change but what layer to change it at. Adjusting the approach is good coaching. Abandoning the underlying commitment is drift.
What specifically isn’t working right now — the specific approach or the underlying commitment? Which layer needs to change?
Diagnostic layer question. The more specific the answer, the more useful the adjustment.
Update the approach when the evidence calls for it. Don’t abandon the underlying purpose. Know the difference.
This devotional works well in a coaches’ meeting when a mid-season adjustment is being considered. It gives the staff a framework for the decision.