My Favorite Word

When working in sports, your brain is alive all day long.  When you earn a living doing something that you may do for free were life like that – there is a constant ‘brain-use’ – with ideas popping up, with thoughts growing, with plans afoot – it’s like Picadilly Circus / Times Square / Muscat City Centre Mall at 9pm (delete based on your “busy location” location) in the old grey matter.

Generally – sports does not have the history of business practice common in other fields, does not have the same level of investment (or belief) in systems that are sacred to the normal “suited and booted”, and does not place the same value in working to common business ideals.  “It’s Sport”.  With a professional approach only really in existence for the past 30 years (and often far less) – it is no wonder that things often do not work as they should.

So – with too much going on, and with no real systems yet in place – what is the one thing that I keep coming back to.  What is the one piece of advice I could give to anyone looking to be a success in the sports world?  What is the one word (we had to get to the title eventually) that I would say is the most important one…..

Well – what is it??

Organization!!

Dull eh……  Sadly, it cannot be all excitement and match day hospitality.  Be organized, get organized, work organized – and you will get ahead.  There is so much that is not organized, there is so much that is likely doomed to fail because everyone has too much to do, because there are no systems in place, because everyone is too DIS-ORGANIZED!!

The masters who can cope with the over work, the “too many” ideas, the lack of control, the lack of systems.  These are the ones who will deliver the best results.  It is not sexy to get yourself “sorted” – but it sure as hell pays off. 

Do the best that you can do in all that you do (I am not one who subscribes to the “do one thing well rather than lots not well” – I am more in the “do as much as you can and do it ALL well” school) – but make sure it is organized.

Your brain will thank you!