In sports, halftime is when championship teams make crucial adjustments. They take a hard look at what’s working and what isn’t, change their strategy, and return to the game more focused and prepared to win. The same principle applies to business and life. If you’re not taking time to stop, reflect, and recalibrate, you might be running plays that no longer serve you.
Why Evaluating Your Game Plan Matters
Sometimes, we get stuck in the mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it.” While consistency can be good, clinging to old ways out of fear of change can hold you back. Championship coaches and high-performing businesses know the danger of staying stagnant. They regularly review the fundamentals, update their playbooks, and create action plans to help them stay ahead. (We can help with that!)
Breaking Down the Halftime Adjustment: How to Make Real Progress
When making halftime adjustments in your business or life, it’s important to understand the key areas you should be evaluating. Let’s break it down further by focusing on three essential steps:
1. Identify What’s Working: Focus on Strengths and Build on Them
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is focusing so much on problems that they miss opportunities to build on what’s already working. Championship leaders amplify their team’s strengths, giving them the confidence to keep moving forward.
Example: Imagine your team has been struggling with accountability, but you’ve noticed that one department has consistently hit their targets. Instead of treating that as a one-off success, highlight it! Share their strategies and best practices with the rest of the team. You might find that the key to accountability lies in something simple, like setting clear expectations or celebrating small wins, that other departments can adopt.
Action Tip: Identify the top three areas where your team is already performing well. Are they great at collaboration? Do they thrive under deadlines? Once you’ve pinpointed what’s working, figure out how to build on those strengths and apply them across the board.
2. Spot What’s Not Working: Address Weaknesses or Lack of Focus
High-performing leaders know that losing focus can be a major obstacle to success. When a team lacks focus, they may be busy—but they’re not necessarily productive. Great leaders take time to assess whether the team is working on the right priorities and eliminate distractions.
Example: Suppose your team is constantly in motion but rarely finishes key projects on time. After evaluating what’s happening, you realize the problem isn’t effort: it’s a lack of focus. Team members are trying to juggle too many tasks at once without a clear sense of what’s most important. To address this, you could implement a daily or weekly prioritization system, helping the team focus on their top three most impactful tasks instead of spreading their energy across low-priority work.
Action Tip: Review your team’s workload and ask:
- Are we spending our time on tasks that align with our most important goals?
- What distractions or low-value activities can we eliminate?
Sometimes, even small changes, like holding a weekly 15-minute team huddle, can dramatically improve productivity.
3. Reignite Momentum: Improve Communication and Collaboration
Momentum is key to maintaining a championship mindset. When communication breaks down, teams can lose their sense of direction and momentum. Reigniting energy often starts with improving how team members communicate, collaborate, and solve problems together.
Example: Suppose your team has been struggling with miscommunication and missed opportunities. Maybe important information gets lost in long email chains, or team members aren’t speaking up during meetings. This leads to delays, misunderstandings, and frustration. To reignite momentum, you might implement clearer communication protocols, such as using a central project management tool, holding shorter but more focused team huddles, or encouraging open dialogue in meetings.
Action Tip: Strengthen communication by asking:
- Do team members know how to escalate issues when they arise?
- Are we creating a safe space for feedback and collaboration?
- How can we reduce friction in how information is shared and tasks are tracked?
Sometimes, simple changes like clarifying who’s responsible for what or adopting more efficient communication tools can make a huge difference in how the team collaborates and executes.
Don’t Be Afraid of Change
Remember, the best leaders and teams aren’t afraid to adjust mid-game. They know that winning often requires stepping outside their comfort zone, trying new plays, and taking calculated risks.
So, what’s your halftime adjustment going to be? Take some time today to evaluate, recalibrate, and recommit to your goals. Whether it’s refining your strategy, shifting your focus, or reworking your playbook, the key is to stay adaptable and keep moving forward.