November 2007

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following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business'  on 21 November 2007</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Analogies and anagrams revisited</B></div> <bR> <div> In the past couple of weeks, I've had occasion more than once to use a sporting analogy in helping clients think about ways in which they might get more from their teams.  That has taken me back to an article I wrote for this column over three years ago, and, since it's not possible to plagiarise oneself, I thought it timely to resurrect much of that article for today's readers to whom it might be relevant and helpful.</div> <bR> <div> Think of a football or rugby field:  there are visible goals and there are clear boundaries within which the game must be played - step outside the touch line and play stops.  There are a clear set of rules, understood by everyone, by which the game is controlled - a late tackle or collapsed scrum and you're penalised.  Within those parameters, however, free-flowing and imaginative play is generally rewarded by good results.  </div> <bR> <div> Similarly, great businesses are also well-defined.  Their people know what the organisation's objectives are (the goals) and exactly what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and company values (the boundaries).  They have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and job descriptions for team members, detailed procedures for the operations of the business and the way in which they look after their customers (the rules).  And within this framework - or culture - imaginative, innovative and adaptable behaviour from members of the team is highly valued.</div> <bR> <div> Coaches of athletes aspiring to Olympic glory next year in Beijing began years ago to build their charges' performance towards the standards they know will be needed to have a chance of a podium finish in this pinnacle of sporting competition.  They work on techniques, they spend weeks shaving hundredths of seconds off times, they calculate jumpers' and vaulters' progress in mere millimetres.  Above all, they measure, measure, measure.  You can't know if you or your team are improving unless you measure your performance regularly.  Businesses need to identify the activities that contribute most to their success and then measure how well they perform those activities.  Such Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a vital tool for managing success.   </div> <bR> <div> Despite the altruistic musings of poets, competition is not just about how you play the game - it's about winning.  One can and should win with integrity and displaying good sportsmanship, but the objective of competitive games is to win.  In any game, and in business, if you don't keep score, you'll never know if you're winning or not.  So, measuring the financial progress of the business - regularly and thoroughly - is just as important as keeping the score at a football or cricket match.    </div> <bR> <div> A final thought:  analogy is an anagram of ANY GOAL.  In most games, as in business, you must have a goal - an objective towards which the team is always striving.  Without a goal, your team (or your business) will be aimless.  The Cheshire Cat, in `Alice in Wonderland' put it wonderfully:  “If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there.” </div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>