A hidden lesson for entrepreneurs in Friday’s Rugby World Cup match
by Fred Roed on 17/09/07 at 11:13 am
3 comments
On Friday, South Africa dominated England in the 2007 Rugby World Cup first round game. 36-zip and the poms didn’t once look close to scoring. So what happened? Where did the Springboks succeed; and where did it go, oh so wrong, for the English?
Think back for a moment to the build-up to the game. There were injury scares in both camps, but beyond that, there was nothing else remotely similar. I read somewhere that the English went to some battleground close to their training camp, and Martin Corry delivered a Churchillian call to arms, a rousing speech to get his players to kick the crap out of the opposition. They tried gamely, but it wasn’t long before they were on route to a thumping. That the English went onto the feld and played with heart, there can be no doubt.
It struck me, though, that it takes more than just heart to succeed.
In recent times, I’ve seen a number of companies try and fail. They give it their all, work until their eyes bleed and then eventually run out of steam (read ‘cash’). This happens to the best, even smartest, companies. So, what does it take?
Looking at the Springboks before the game, I think the secret lay with their approach. There was heart, sure, but at the same time, there was a game-plan. A blueprint for success that had been drawn carefully over 4 years. Time and energy had been spent on building up the mental fortress within the minds of the players – that come what may, they had a plan A, plan B, plan C in order to get the job done. In the end, they played with a lot of heart, but they balanced it with a display of ruthless execution that squeezed the life-blood out of the opposition. In the end, they achieved their goal with ease.
A few years back, South Africa played Australia under Rudolph Straeli. South Africa got whupped. Badly. They had the players. They had the skills. They had shedloads of heart. They had seemingly everything, except the cerebral ability to unlock their opponents. They didn’t have the smarts.
Not many people noticed, but in the television preamble to that game 5 years ago, the cameras peeked into the two changing rooms and revealed something remarkable. In one changing room, the Springboks were huddled in a circle, shouting at each other and banging their heads together. The cameras moved to the Ozzie camp, and there, sprawled around their quarters, were the Australian players. One was sitting on a bench, listening to his walkman. Another was playing with a yo-yo. There were smiles all around, yet there was an underlying determination in the eyes of the players.
As the game started, South Africa threw everything at them, playing with more heart than ever before. They quickly ran out of steam, and the Australians ran in a few easy tries, winning the game easily.
Similarly, before Friday’s game, while the English team were rallying around their captain the South Africans were taking in some sightseeing and were encouraged to sleep late. As a result of the careful planning during Jake White’s tenure, the players’ hearts and minds were aligned. They knew what had to be done, and there was great security in the fact that there was a plan in place. White knew that the heart was there – he picked them for it.
It takes time, however, to implement a plan.
I think it’s the same for business. Most Ideate readers are entrepreneurial in some way or another. We all have the heart – but it takes more than just heart. Success requires us to be smart. Wisdom (unfortunately) takes time.
Look at the Springboks: when was the last time you could honestly say ‘the Boks played a smart game!’ – ?
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.
Andrew
Sep 17th, 2007
This is so typical of South African males – draw an anology between rugby and business so that we can keep talking about the game on Monday morning!
Anyway, now that you’ve got me in the swing of things:
I like how Jake has been building his team since 4 years ago, and yet it still includes Francois Steyn, who was about 15 at the time. The best plans allow for some flexibility along the way, without feeling like the original blueprint has been compromised.
Fred
Sep 17th, 2007
ha – you’re onto me. I haven’t stopped talking about the game since the end whistle (or even before – check out http://www.theheavychef.com )
re Frans, I agree. Notice also how both teams lost critical players, but on the SA side the new players slotted neatly into the game plan and played like superstars. It’s E-myth stuff.
Cherryflava
Sep 21st, 2007
Good post Fred…and so true.
Business is heart, but also careful strategy with a plan A,B, C ……
Nice.