What does "game plan" actually mean?

Just in time for the postponed European Football Championships, terms from sports lingo are also being strained in our industry. At the moment: the game plan. The profane plan seems to be insufficient in times of highest competitiveness. Anyone who wants to make an impact in project meetings asks "Do you have a game plan?" or "What is the game plan? Suddenly, these questions are not only repeated in sports club cabins, but also more and more often in meeting rooms and video calls. Why is that?

Communication and marketing becomes a top sport

First of all, a normal project plan is a bit "old school". It assumes that the project is clear and plannable and usually not only takes a long time, but often goes into overtime without anyone booing it. Such projects have had their day. Today, so many factors and stakeholders play a role in project planning that many things come about ad hoc or by chance - unfortunately also things that could actually be planned.

Secondly, it is now fashionable to constantly launch new projects, even if very few of them ever manage to get out of their own danger zone, to use football jargon. One reason for this is that the new understanding of leadership in many companies involves not only motivating employees to contribute ideas, but almost forcing them to do so if they want to be considered for the next round of promotions - yes, these still exist despite Holacracy and other modern organizational forms. And so projectitis is rampant, with professionals acting like F-juniors playing pack football: running around haphazardly, always going where the ball is or seems to be.

That's probably why - and because it admittedly also sounds cooler - everything becomes a game in teams. Win or lose is the motto. #TeamLuca vs. #TeamMirjam vs. #TeamRobert: They all usually don't get beyond the formulation of the game plan, instead of just going out and playing, as Franz Beckenbauer once said. Creatively and focused on the goal, as soon as it is recognizable, find solutions in the open field of possibilities that bring you, the team and the company forward. At the end of the day, the management or internal clients will say "Well played, but still lost" and "There are more losers than winners" - but that's no different at a European soccer championship.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.