CULTURE AND HOW TO CHANGE IT

My last blog rather depressingly noted that we can’t really do much to drive our sports clubs forward. (Didn’t it??)  Well - if you read it wrong - then you may have taken that from it.  However - it was written to highlight the need to position your workload in the right manner.  Understand where you are in the marketplace and listen to your customers.  It is no fun to believe that what you are doing has limited impact - but again - that was not the point.  Everything we do should be about making an impact, about improving what we do.  In the short term - we need to listen more than to preach.  But in the long term - our preaching will hopefully have far more of any impact - and that is where the fun comes....  (finally - some fun!)

If you work at (or plan to work at) a well established sports set up - then more than likely you have an existing audience of passionate supporters - who will follow your club pretty much through anything.  Well done - you are at a mature operation - it should be easier to move things forward.

If you work at a new franchise (for the American audience), or a poorly supported team - then your efforts are likely to be less well followed.

GIVE ‘EM WHAT THEY WANT

“What do you want for Christmas??” - I am pretty certain the hugely significant majority have been asked that question.  Depending on your answer, and depending on your performance through the year (and specifically during the present buying stage) - you ended up with hopefully getting what you wanted under the tree.

It’s a pretty well tried and trusted route to happiness for 100% of the population (see formula below) 

Request for desired present + purchase = happiness (if only fleeting till the next unwrapping cycle).

So why do sports clubs seem more set on - 

SMILE AND THE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU

Sport can be painful.  The athletes who ‘take the pain’ will testament to that - Vinnie Jones on Gazza, any of Mike Tyson’s victims, broken limbs from the ‘taking part’ - it can be brutal.

Off pitch, in the back office - things get just as sore.  We might not show our bruises as much or need the Doc to stitch us up - but behind the scenes - it sure does hurt when our plans do not come to fruition.  It can sting when everything that was within your grasp works perfectly - but someone does something just a little bit better.  Luck or “unluck” can be a real sucker punch whilst constraints (financial / asset / mental or physical) can strangle the life out of even the most determined of sports operators.

You certainly have to be able to ‘roll with the punches’ working in sports.  

Well - there is a solution that can ease the pain.  It is one that does not get mentioned as much as perhaps it should.

STARTING IN YOUR ROLE/JOB/CLUB/LIFE

“Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail” is a car sticker / note on the ‘shed’ wall / post it in back office that you will have seen at many sports clubs you have visited.

“Get organized in defense” is the key to success in most team games.

“Do you know what you are doing?? Do you have a plan” is often the first questions asked of any sports set up.

So - getting organized / having a plan is pretty key.  You think.....???

Let’s look at an example.

Man vs Horse.

Who wins??  Quick answer please......