The purpose for the half time pep talk is really only about one thing: winning the second half.

There are other things that can be done at the interval, first aid, rehydration and time to catch breath for the team. The pep talk is the coach’s responsibility. The pep talk is about the attitude of the team, getting their heads right so that they can go out there and win. You don’t have time to go back to the training ground, the team has to go back and play. What does the innovative coach do in those few critical minutes?

Acknowledge the state of play:

2009 has been a tough year. The speed and depth of the economic changes have been astonishing. Some seemingly invincible players have gone down; others are fighting to stay in the game never mind winning. Your customers have less money to spend with you and credit is very hard to come by. There will be more losses and the second half whistle will not change the reality you will have to face. You may have losses and injuries but you are still in the game. You still can play. Your preparation, processes and skills can still be used and no one else can do it for you.

Release your limiting beliefs

If there is a decision that is weighing on you; something you could have done, an investment that you shouldn’t have made: now it the time to let it go. Every player on the field has made a mistake. It is the winning players that step up to kick the penalty even after missing the open goal earlier in the match. Learn what you need to learn from that episode and use that knowledge out on the field. Spending time and energy on the past cannot change the circumstances that you are in now. However, spending time and energy on the decisions that face you now can significantly improve your future state. So where should you focus – in the here and now, not the past.

Look for the changes; big and small

Everyone has changed. Your current and past clients may need different things from you. Companies that you may has considered out of your league may well be looking for you now. A general model that holds is that of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In these times of stress, individuals and companies will be looking more for shelter and security rather than actualization. Ensure you can provide a product of service that meets that need. While companies will look to invest only in the core of their business, this open opportunities for others to provide services that would only have been done internally to that company. The companies that are looking to the future and are putting their strategies together for success beyond 2009 are more likely to be the ones that will be growing in the future. Establish a strong relationship with the progressive smart companies, if you can’t do that on business transactional level, do it in some way that allows them to see what you can do for them.

Some of the changes are going to be temporary and there will be customers and clients who will look to move back to their previous patterns. Some behaviours will change irrevocably in these times. Watch carefully and listen well to see if structural changes are being made in your market of if the storm is just being weathered. Ensure your business model makes sense.

Agility is crucial

The world has not changed so much, you will just need to apply your team in a more creative way and be willing to adapt faster to change. In these times; it is not the big that will eat the small it is the fast that will overtake the slow. Flexibility and imagination are what is called for. If you need to make substitutions, get the faster players on the field.

Go out and win

Winners have clearly made a difference between them and the competition. Be able to be clear as to what makes you successful. Creativity and innovation practices give you more options- so use them.