Isn’t it amazing how often we get so caught up in the moment, we do not think about what is coming next?   Sometimes it may be a crisis, but other times it may be something that just takes your breath away – like actually getting the technology grant!

Coach K ( Mike Krzyzewski)   of the Duke Blue Devils fame (and Olympics), has one mantra he uses with his teams (at Duke or at the Olympics).  What is that mantra?  Next Play.   Whether  a player has scored a fabulous dunk, or the team has given up a turnover, Coach K does not let them celebrate – nor lament – too long.  It is always about  Next Play.

In the TregoED  world, that would be called Potential Problem/Opportunity Analysis.  We believe in not being ‘reactive’, but actually being  ‘proactive’.  Why?  Because you are prepared for the “What If’s?”  What if they steal the ball in the red zone?  What if they lose the rebound?  Or, what if we have a teacher who resigns two weeks before the start of school?  What if we have more students that enroll than we planned?  What if we get the Impact grant?  What if we win the Blue Ribbon of Excellence for our school? 

We don’t wait until those circumstances occur to take action.  We think into the future and put actions in place to either prevent those potential  problems, or actions that will seize the opportunities.  This is not rocket science – it is just common sense!

 If we think about the What If’s, and encourage those on our team (within the school, within the district, within our board, within our community ) to think about and plan for the What If’s,  we can also begin to adopt Coach K’s mantra – Next Play – as our own!