People that know me, know I love sport and moreover, the lessons business owners can learn from sports teams….following are a few;
1. Holding leaders to account
When teams are falling down the ladder, who’s the first one to get blamed? Who’s the first one to leave? It’s not the players, it’s the coach.
We’ve seen countless examples of coaches being replaced with new ones and seeing their performance turn around.
So why doesn’t business run the same way?
When things go wrong in the workplace, who’s the first to get the blame?
Usually, it’s employee’s.
It’s time to look at problems from a different perspective as your team can only perform as well as they’re set up and coached.
2. Coached to success
Think about the last time you played a team sport….It may have been in school or on the weekend. Maybe it was the local footy club, or weekly tennis rounds.
If you remember a time when you were at your peak, it’s safe to say that you probably had the help of a coach.
One of the best ways to improve the profitability of your business is to coach your team to a higher level of performance…..and also get coached yourself!
Which leads to the next reason why should be reading the sports section…
3. Customer service is management driven
On game day, where will the coach be sitting?
Not in the change rooms or the office….The coach is right there on or in the ground, among the players.
They’re watching the game being played. They’re right there before the game starts, at quarter time, at half time.
They’re making decisions, changing positions, improvising in the moment based on the gameplay. They’re responding to the loss of momentum.
But what happens in business? Where is the manager when the customer service game is being played?
Unfortunately, most managers are sitting in the office while the game is being won or lost.
The lesson here? Get out of the office and talk to and get to know your team members
4. The importance of keeping score
Why is sport so exciting and what drives people, week in, week out, to follow a team throughout an entire season?
It has a lot to do with the scoreboard.
Regardless of the sport, there is someone keeping score, so everyone knows whether you are winning or losing.
Businesses do keep score, but in the majority of cases, it’s already too late to make a difference. By the time you look at your financial statements, you’ve already played the entire game.
Using your financial statements as your main measurement is like driving using your rear-view mirror!
Teams are more motivated about playing the game when they have a frequently updated scoreboard, so think about what KPI’s are relevant and start reporting them daily or at least weekly.
5. Perfecting the fundamentals
When the game is not being played, what are the best sports teams doing every day? They’re training.
Even the best in their field spend hours perfecting the fundamentals.
Again, what do most businesses do?
Most managers allow their team to go on the field without any warm-up or training in advance.
They’re fumbling the ball while the game is being played, and this is costly to a business.
Become a coach for your staff, be on the ‘ground’ when the game is being played, help your team keep score, and offer training to your staff.
