Effective vs Efficient: Shortsighted thinking at its best

Recently, my high school kicker has been having some intense back problems. He was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis a few years ago but after his rehab has been OK for the most part. Interestingly, he has had a great season and made a 44 yard field goal during the game last week to push our team to a 27-14 win against a rival school.

He's kicking with good power and accuracy but this is coming at a cost of his body. During the summer, he worked on getting more power and has done so but after evaluating him last week, it was obvious that he lacked any hip extension and was exclusively using extension from the lumbar spine. What a great way to irritate a previous injury! We've done some soft tissue therapy on him after his doctor gave him the "OK" to play. He's uncomfortable, but he'll make it through to the championship game this Saturday.

The thing about Chris is he's very effective at kicking. He's also a great kid so its hard to see him in pain after he's being so effective in making all of his kicks. However, the reality is that he's not really being efficient in using his whole body during his activity and it's causing him a great deal of pain.

Looks like this University of Texas kicker is getting the most out of his whole body.

We spoke in detail about this, and he and I both came to the conclusion that his while he's being effective, his kicking mechanics are off and not efficient; and that he's probably not going to be able to sustain that level of performance when he kicks in college. I truly believe that Chris can go to the next level (as tough as I am on him) but only if he is willing to step back and do some structural work to "clear the path" of function as well as do the functional movements that will coordinate his athletic ability. It will not be easy. Actually, it will be a lot of hard work that will require him to step back and be dedicated, intelligent and humble throughout the training process. (More of that in a later post)


SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH EFFICIENT VS EFFECTIVE???

Effective (adj.): Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.



Efficient (adj.) Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.


If you want an easier way to memorize the difference, remember this sentence: “Being effective is about doing the right things, while being efficient is about doing the things in the right manner.”


As I searched the Internet, I found many articles dedicated to contrasting and comparing the two. However, only one made mention of combining the two. I would like to propose:

EFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE

AND

EFFECTIVELY EFFICIENT

Oxymorons? Maybe. However, I think that they are intimately connected by HARD WORK.

Dedication to excellence and optimal performance comes at the cost of getting into something and REALLY doing the work that it entails. It is not just touching on details. It is a commitment to delving into the depths of the activity that you are in and extracting the most from the moment or person working with you.( I've mentioned this in my post on OPTIMAL COACHING).

The thread that unites Efficient and Effective is DEDICATION.

Can you step back and objectively look at the things that are the most important AND least important in your life and evaluate whether or not you are being EFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVELY EFFICIENT?

Can you learn to be a better athlete/student/parent/child/employee/employer? Sure! I guarantee you that it will take hard work to get there but the results will AMAZE you.

Enjoy the process of being E.D.E (Effective. Dedicated. Efficient).

Best regards,

Will