W.I.N.

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

An aggressive business owner from Massachusetts called me the other day to talk about his company culture, and the need for him to be a better communicator, leader, and coach, fulfilling his unique position as the sage role model for effecting sustainable results, positive change management, and improved alignment throughout his company.

Well said!

Do you know any other business owners or managers who can say that, or even attempt to believe it?

I didn’t hear your answer. I’m still waiting…

With that topical predicate in mind, the business owner rattled off the common challenges confronting his company: the interminable race for technological sophistication, a workforce that generally lacks initiative and motivation, antipodal conflict between various cost pressures and customer price sensitivity, as well as the pace, volume, and detail of information besieging him and his management team on a daily basis.

He then began to draw down his thoughts, distilling multiple factors into common themes, eventuating in his perceptive resolution, “What’s Important Now? Steve.” I let him continue as he proceeded with both rhyme and verse to explain how “What’s Important Now?” has become his mantra, distinguishing signal from noise, isolating singular focus on value, while dismissing variance. It is his reinvigorated belief that he must act as the ongoing filter, perpetually reminding himself, his employees, and his organizational culture to avoid nuanced distractions, and attend only on present priorities.

Popularized by former Notre Dame head football coach Lou Holtz, the acronym WIN forces individuals to concentrate on the issue confronting them at that moment, thereby directing all their energy onto success rather than reverie. In specific, Lou Holtz would remind his athletes to ask themselves “What’s Important Now?” 30-35 times each day to maintain focus on what they must do in that moment to achieve eventual success (e.g., taking notes in class to get a good grade on the upcoming test, executing their functional task on the football field to get a touchdown, presenting oneself properly to attain respect from others).

The insightful business owner cited several examples of where his employees had repeatedly lost control over a situation by letting their minds wander, often resulting in performance failure. For example, instead of focusing on “What’s Important Now?” a field employee walking backward using a string-trimmer, tripped on a planter bed siding, resulting in an injury. What was he thinking about right before he tripped?

It’s obvious he was not thinking in the moment; not directing his energy toward successful task completion. If he was thinking about “What’s Important Now?”, he would have been more aware of his surroundings, and not tripped, and not got injured, and not increased the company’s Experience Modification Rate, which produced a higher annual workers compensation premium for his employer.

With that mindset in place, the business owner routinely asks his employees “What’s Important Now?” as he attends their daily huddles prior to yard departure, or when he visits them on a job site, or when they are listening to the weekly safety tailgate training session. Likewise, when dealing with his sales team, the business owner will ask them the same question as a reminder to develop a proposal worthy of their unabated attention instead of simply completing the document robotically, bereft of precise involvement.

Moreover, the business owner regularly asks his management team members “What’s Important Now?” during their monthly Financial Review Meetings as well as during his weekly one-on-one meetings with them to ensure they are aligned with what he thinks is “What’s Important Now?”

In those situations where an employee’s answer is different from that of the owner, manager, or supervisor, immediate coaching must be applied, linking the employee’s direct attention onto task success, ultimately achieving a business goal.

Because that’s “What’s Important Now!”

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