One of my great passions is that of being an Athletics Coach giving my time to helping both young and old athletes the opportunity to become better. Better and Fitter athletes and better, more focused individuals/teams. As most coaches I came across becoming a coach through my daughter being interested in the sport however as a youngster I played rugby to a high junior level. I've always had a great interest in sport and fitness and the mindset that goes in to becoming an elite performer or coach and how this can be transferred in to business and visa versa.
As many of you reading this have experienced, we all have time to think, and my thinking has led me to considering what businesses can learn from sport, especially at the elite level.
Most sports go through four phases within a year.
Active competition. In sport, this is the period of taking part in the relevant sports competitions, leagues and cup fixtures - In business this can be seen as your main trading season where the bulk of your business generates your turnover.
Post Season. In sport, this will be used by the competitor and coaches as a period for short term rest and recovery but fundamentally will be used for review for the season just completed. Coaches in team sports may consider who might be leaving their team and who they could be replaced by. In business you should be considering what went well, what you can improve on and how you are going to deliver it going forward. Do you need new leaders, team members or assets to improve your performance? How do you beat the competition?
Core Skills and Fitness. In sport this will involve a heavy load of fitness and strength coaching to become match ready but toward the back end will move in to skills development and team building. In business this should be the phase of business planning, capital investment and training your team to be better. Don't forget that your team are your greatest asset.
Pre Season. In sport this will comprise of your final preparations in becoming 'match fit' and may comprise of some final warm up matches and competitions in a more relaxed environment without the pressure of crowds. In business this should be considered as your 'soft opening' period, trial opening or test events.
On too many occasions we see businesses failing to lift their heads out of the day to day operation. They fail to consider points 2, 3 and 4 and ultimately fail themselves, their customers and their shareholders. Ultimately they wont perform to the highest level and will ultimately be 'relegated'
The challenges that Covid-19 has created provides businesses the opportunity to fully asses where they are in their performance levels and standards, and who are the key assets driving that performance. Hospitality, attractions and leisure businesses face a really tough autumn and winter period and should use their time wisely and take learnings from the process that sports leaders undertake. Failure to do so will see you not achieving your 'Personal Best' and winning the trophies (achieving the profit) that you have the potential to achieve. The worst case scenario is that you wont survive.
Kev Smith is the founder of HALO 2020 Consulting. With 30 plus years in developing, opening and operating in the hospitality, attractions and leisure industry HALO 2020 can support your business in your strategic planning, implementation and mentoring requirements. To find out more of the services available and how I can support your business to be 'Fit for business' check out my services offered at www.halo2020.net or contact me on halo2020consult@outlook.com
Thanks for reading
