As I prepared to lead a group of people of a national school sports organization through a weekend strategic planning session out of state recently, I was challenged to check again my own answers to questions like these:

• What’s the one thing that excites you most about school sports in your state?  And what’s the one thing that worries you most?
• What’s the organization outside of sports that you admire most?  And what specifically is it that you admire most about it?
• What’s the one thing this national organization should never change?  And what things should be open to change?
• What are the core values of this organization – the guiding principles that should not be compromised?
• What are the core purposes of this organization – the most fundamental reasons for its existence?
• What are the core competencies of this organization – what it can do better than any other?
• Who are the core constituents of this organization – those who might not be served well or at all if it didn’t exist?

In time, I’ll be using this space to suggest some answers in the ongoing process of clarifying my own thoughts about the MHSAA.  I welcome your thoughts.