The struggle to be perfect!

In a classroom and most other areas of a school, many a problem will go unnoticed. Not so in the athletic arena. In this, the most visible aspect of education, nothing goes undetected.

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Ask any athletic director. All of them have hundreds of responsibilities, details and problems, which have to be handled. Very few parents, teachers, coaches, or even administrators truly understand the nature and complexity of the position. While 99% of all contests, banquets, meetings, and related efforts will go off without a hitch, it will take only one mistake to bring on an avalanche of criticism and complaints.

In a typical fall season, we normally will have 160-175 scheduled contests, games home and away. Last fall, we experienced just one minor transportation problem. It was a mistake that could have been made by any one of four individuals. But I heard from unhappy parents for approximately two weeks. They didn't care that 99% of our trips went off without a hitch; they had to pop off about that one problem--which we were able to handle with an emergency effort.

While it is perhaps unfortunate and unfair to be expected to perform perfectly, you can at least learn the dynamics of this phenomenon and arm yourself with a few techniques with which to handle the road to perfection:

1 Become a detail-oriented person. For some of us, this will come easy; for others it may take some effort. Start by breaking your major tasks or responsibilities into component parts, and outlining the necessary steps that will have to be taken for each.

2 Refer to lists and checklists to keep you on track and to avoid making mistakes. Obviously, you first have to develop or borrow these checklists from others. Once these documents are stored on your computer, it becomes very easy to update and edit them.

3 Allow yourself some "Wiggle Room" to meet deadlines. This could mean, asking your coaches to submit their forms a day before they are actually due-creating a little buffer for unforeseen developments, emergencies, and problems.

4 Make back-up copies, particularly of your computer documents and files. This safeguard approach should also include photocopies of tournament entries, eligibility reports, and anything that may be critical to the functioning of your program.

5 Try to have a back-up or contingency plan. This may be impossible for all of your tasks and responsibilities, but it would be wise to have such emergency plans in place for major situations.

6 Use an E-mail message or fax to make critical changes in transportation schedules, staff assignments, or whatever details that could have a major impact upon your operation. This will give you documentation for the correct steps and procedures you have followed. A conversation, either in person or over the phone with the dispatcher, can easily lead to misunderstanding and problems.

7 Double-check and reconfirm arrangements if there is time. This is particularly important for the various details involved with rescheduled contests due to inclement weather. The key concept here is if there is time. We certainly can't double-check everything. Developing an awareness of what and when something has to be reconfirmed is also a valuable asset.

8 Use E-mail to communicate with everyone -- coaches, administrators, custodians and grounds crew--involved whenever changes are made to a facilities schedule. The beauty of this mode of communication is that you are contacting everyone with the same message at the same time and you will also have an excellent means of documentation. If needed, you can also forward this message to others who might have missed it. This makes E-mail invaluable!

9 Develop a system to remind yourself of due dates, meetings, and responsibilities. Whether you use a Daily To Do List, PDA, Post-It Notes, a monthly calendar or scheduling software, find something that works for you. Do not rely on your memory, because this is a sure way to forget something important and ultimately make a mistake.

10 Pause and think before you quickly react. Hastily made emotional or irrational comments often can cause problems. Gathering all of the facts and developing a well thought-out course of action can often eliminate the risk of mistakes in judgment.

11 Proofread all proposals and reports before submitting them. Whenever possible have someone else read through your work. You may overlook simple mistakes, because you have gotten too close to the material. An extra reader can uncover potential glitches.

12 Practice a presentation before actually delivering it. Work on your delivery and become intimately familiar with the material. This is critical to a smooth presentation. It is also important to become familiar with the laptop and projector whenever you make a PowerPoint presentation. Practice does make perfect.

13 Project and think ahead. Remember Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong, usually will. By analyzing potential events and situations, you may be able to anticipate problems and prepare for them.

While doing everything possible to avoid mistakes, we also have to be careful to avoid perfectionalism. It can be debilitating to most individuals.

It can cause you to revise, constantly rework, and delay completing important and necessary tasks. There has to come a time to make a decision. Do the best that you can and simply move on. It definitely is a struggle to be perfect.

By Dr. David Hoch, Director of Athletics, Loch Raven High School, Baltimore County, MD