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Latest Blog: Touch, pause, engage ... tackling tough times effectively
Tackle and Try Hard
The sort of rugby I like is the schoolboy variety, on the touchline, covering my eyes, as our eleven year old, tight head prop throws himself at other boys. There is much that sport can teach organisations, and none more so than rugby, especially now. So this is my take on what we can get from the scrum.
At the beginning of a scrummage the ref shouts: touch - pause - engage, and that is what this quarter's updates is all about.
Touch. The widespread marketisation of services has meant that many more people are aware of both what is available and what they "should" be getting when they buy those services. Marketisation in some areas is probably good. The use of private sector businesses to deliver support services in public sector organisations has frequently been shown to improve the services and be less expensive. However, it has not necessarily been goood everywhere. In higher education (see Merlin's article on the right) there has been more focus on "selling" university and higher education than actually delivering it, to the detriment of everyone involved. When the "touch" happens, that is the sell, there would appear to be a need to think very clearly about how "hard" the sell should be. In a scrum, it is just a touch - so particularly in services it would be worth thinking if less money and push was needed at this stage, and for this to be redeployed elsewhere. This might actually realise a better performance, at the later stages.
Pause. So the "touch" has been successful and the scrummage / customer relationship has got underway. If organisations used this pause to assess at what level and how they intend to align with one another in order to deliver the service which has been bought, the rest of the match is likely to go much more smoothly. There is so much which could be achieved during a well thought out "pause". Are you geared up to deliver not just what you have sold, but what the client wants and needs. Are they a client who clearly knows what they want, or have they been dazzled by your brand and marketing? If this is the case, think about sending in your most down to earth, completer finishers at this stage to build (and finish) the foundations for a long-term working relationship.
Engage. This is where the metaphor of the scrummage might need to be loosened but only in some places. You are now on the same team, working together to achieve the same outcomes. Now you need to set your team free to deliver at the top of their game, and be on the same team as your client. Pass the ball at the right moment and let them score the tries, your glory comes from helping them to be the best they can be.
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