Can you imagine if the New England Patriots showed up to the playing field Super Bowl Sunday and said, “We haven’t practiced in a year, let’s try to put something together here and win the game.” How many drills do they go through at that level? How many videos do they watch? How many practices do they have?
In the military, everyone in the unit knows when they get the encrypted phone call that says something like, “The cows are out the pasture,” that means they’re all heading to the armory within 12 or 24 hours, bag and baggage, ready to go. You need to have all your affairs in order. You better have a will already made. You better have a plan for your childcare. You better have a plan for getting your bills paid while you’re gone. These are things the military does with every soldier before the word “war” or “deployment” even comes up. They bring the legal team in to sit down and speak with you. The military even brings in dentists to look at your teeth because they don’t want to send you over to war with a toothache.
To keep all of these millions of details organized so all can be executed seamlessly and flawlessly, the military creates a series of playbooks called mobilization books. These books are three-ring binders that lay out the entire mobilization plan prior to being mobilized. The fact is, when tragedy strikes, or you are defending Superbowl champs, you can’t just make it up as you go along. You go right for the playbook and start running through the checklists. So why wouldn’t a business have a similar plan?
It was all of this preparation experience while serving our country that came to serve Paul and I to be prepped for success as businessmen…and to deliver on a sudden $81 million contract. Once Paul hit the “submit” button on the proposal, we sprang into action and built out our playbook just in case we happened to land it.
After Paul picked me up off the floor and dusted me off, we pulled out that playbook and started delegating tasks and making calls to the landlord, the office supply company, the employees waiting in the wings. We finalized contracts, set up meetings, and scheduled deliveries. The call from the government had come in on a Friday, and by the following Monday, people were reporting for duty.
Every single event in life is a Super Bowl if you really want to be successful. The key to mastering the art of preparation is practice…and having a playbook.