I recently came across a story about President Woodrow Wilson and his mother. He once asked her why she repeated the same thing 20 times. Her response:
Think about a dance company preparing for a performance. They run nearly identical rehearsals each week leading up to opening night. The same warm-ups. The same combinations. The same choreography. Recordings get studied. Notes get given. The pattern repeats. The result is a performance that looks effortless — because the reps to make it look that way happened long before curtain.
It's the same for performers in music, drama, and sports: practice, study, repeat.
The Basketball Story
My son has played basketball since he was very young. I remember him complaining about all the drills at practice. "Why can't we just scrimmage?" he'd ask. My standard coach answer: "You have to learn the tools before you can be successful with them."
Over the years, his team has taken plenty of losses. Some were close. Some were blowouts. Those losses left the kids frustrated. They kept practicing.
One year, his team played a tournament game against a team from Los Angeles. Several of our boys were playing up — competing in a higher age group against older, more experienced players. From the start, the other team appeared to have every visible advantage: bigger, stronger, faster. I'll never forget marveling at one kid on the opposing side who was sporting a full-blown mustache.
By the end of the first possession, I thought I knew where the game was going. Another blowout.
Except this time, the blowout went the other direction.
Why? Because they had practiced, studied, and repeated. The result was a performance that didn't match what the matchup looked like on paper.
The Same Idea, Applied to Your Center
Success at work isn't different. Like a team running set plays, programs thrive when they have clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) — structured, repeatable processes that let staff operate consistently.
A dance company doesn't invent the choreography onstage. They memorize it. They drill it. They adjust it based on the space, the music, the moment. The same applies in your center. You can't expect staff to "figure it out" mid-shift. They need structure, repetition, and real practice.
How to Build SOPs That Actually Work
A coach wouldn't expect a team to win without drilling. Don't expect your staff to perform without training and repetition either.
Why It Compounds
Your preparation happens when you plan, organize, and reflect.
Worth Remembering
- High performance isn't talent — it's practice, study, repeat. The team that looks ordinary on paper wins by drilling the same plays until they're automatic.
- Your SOPs are a playbook, not paperwork. Staff can't figure it out mid-shift; they need structured, repeatable processes they've actually rehearsed.
- Writing the SOP is step one. It only works once you train it like an athlete — regular sessions, real scenarios, role-play — not a document that gathers dust.
- Watch the game film: gather staff feedback, refine the SOPs on what you see in practice, and reinforce with periodic refreshers.
- Make the playbook accessible and measure it — keep SOPs a click away, post visual reminders, and recognize the staff who run them consistently.
Reflection Questions
- Which recurring task at my center is my team still "figuring out" instead of running like a play?
- What's one SOP I've written that's gathering dust because it never made it into the practice routine?
- If I watched the game film of last week, what would I see my team doing differently from the playbook?
Your Team Deserves a Real Playbook.
SOPs are only as good as the practice routine behind them. Director Zen's Growth Academy gives you the operational frameworks to build a real playbook, and the Resource Hub stocks you with the templates to drill it — so you don't have to write yours from scratch.
This blog is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or regulatory advice. Childcare regulations vary by state — check with your local licensing agency to ensure compliance.
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