Picture: Courtesy SMH, 28 July 2009
Watching Brenton Rickard win World Championship gold after 15 years in the sport was inspiring. It also reminded of the lessons transferable to business, learned from our elite athletes.
Vision, Goals, Strategies – For Brenton, winning a world title was the vision. The long held dream, had been distilled into goals and a clear strategy set to achieve them.
Like any business, Brenton and his coach would have examined and identified the surrounding positive and negative influences, including competitors, likely to impact his performance and the achievement of those objectives.
As in business, they also would have assessed his strengths to be maximised and weaknesses to be eliminated or overcome.
Consistent Execution – Successful outcomes are not only a result of preparation and planning. They’re also a result of doing the same things consistently. For a swimmer this includes training routines practicing techniques such as turns and finishes, and out of water practices such as nutrition, rest and relaxation. For a business it is providing consistency in product and service quality and supporting the systems and processes to facilitate this.
As in all strategies, consistency does not always mean predictable. The element of surprise - providing a ‘wow’- something unexpected for your customers is useful. Perhaps Brenton’s low key approach enabled him to provide that surprise.
Measurement, Evaluation – Brenton and his coach would have continually measured their results and mapped against objectives. For business, measurement means not only monitoring results, but also identifying the return on investment, comparing results with objectives and subsequently refining strategies/tactics.
Resilience – Integral to strategy is the ability to deal with unforeseen obstacles. For Brenton his coach relocating interstate meant changed plans. For any athlete, the ability to overcome injuries is necessary. For businesses, the Global Financial Crisis was unforeseen and despite tough, economic conditions, businesses have refocused and adapted.
Persistence – As Brenton clearly demonstrated, overnight success is a misnomer. Continued application and adherence to the plan are the ingredients of success. Whilst no business might want to wait 15 years to reach their objectives, Brenton’s victory in Rome and its underlying messages, provide tremendous inspiration.
As the first Australian man for 45 years to win a world or Olympic breastroke title – congratulations Brenton and thanks for the inspiration!
Great post, looking forward to read some of your next work.