Everyone has heard the old expression, "Time flies when you're having a good time." Well, I guess it's true because this is my 100th column for Poker Player Newspaper and I've enjoyed having my messages on these pages for the last four years.
My first column was about goal setting and performance reviews and was introduced by publisher Stan Sludikoff as the first in a three part series. One hundred columns later, the series continues. I hope my loyal readers have enjoyed reading Improving Performance as much as I have enjoyed writing it. To mark this milestone I thought it would be appropriate to re-visit my first column and review the premise of the Improving Performance concept.
The genesis of Improving Performance was simply taking a page out of corporate America's use of performance reviews which are used to rate and help employees improve their job performance. Of course, in that venue someone does the work for you. In our venue it needs to be done by employing honest introspection to identify developmental needs and then set goals to eradicate, or at least mitigate, acknowledged deficiencies. Obviously, "know-it-alls" need not apply. Those individuals don't need to become better performers because they already know it all!
If you feel that you just might be able to grow stronger, this is a system that can actually help you achieve that positive growth. All it takes is honesty. Actually it becomes empowering and it is a wonderful feeling to observe the results of setting and achieving goals that can help build your bankroll.
You might wonder just where to start. You should launch this effort with an honest evaluation of what you believe to be your strengths and your weaknesses. You might even ask a friend who is familiar with your play what his opinion is. Once you have these two lists, just as the song says, "You need to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative."
Your developmental needs list leads you into setting goals to improve on or hopefully eliminate completely a weakness. Strive to make your goals meaningful. A five letter acronym has been used to make sure goals are not just "lay-ups." That acronym is SMART. Your goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic and Time related. Done well, this process can be extremely rewarding, improving your game in the areas that need shoring up.
More importantly, your self-esteem will improve as you will see results that you alone made happen. In addition to these esoteric rewards, financial rewards should also follow. Strengthening your skills through an appraisal and goal setting process can't help but produce enhanced results.
See you next "TIME"
