Whether you’re glued to the World Cup action in Rio, hoping for a win in the office sweepstake or hotly anticipating Wimbledon, there’s no escaping sporting fever right now.

 

As well as source of enjoyment, sport offers useful lessons that apply equally in a business environment - on teamwork, ethics, discipline, perseverance and focus. 

 

I was reminded of that when watching a TV documentary on the late Jock Stein, the first British football manager to lead a team to victory in the European Cup with Celtic’s Lisbon Lions in 1967. What struck me about his philosophy as a manager was the simplicity of his approach and the calm way in which he spoke to his players.

 

Not for him the ranting ‘hairdryer’ rages of Brian Clough - Stein used to enter the dressing room before a match and tell players two things: ‘ You’re ready for it. Go and enjoy.’ As a simple but empowering ‘pep talk’  it proved remarkably successful.

 

Stein began his working life as a miner, an experience which honed his physical and mental strength and infuenced his football career in a positive way. His success and that of the players he managed came from his emphasis on rigorous preparation and practise ahead of a match so that on the big day, the team were confident and well-prepared.

 

Today, sporting success is analysed to the nth degreee and the philosophy, psychology and science of sporting achievement is increasingly complex. The same is true of business to a certain extent.

 

We should remember that strong personal dynamics also lie at the heart of good coach/player or manager/player combinations. Next week we’ll see how one of the newest sporting combos - Andy Murray and new coach Amélie Mauresmo get on at Wimbledon with the world watching and a major prize at stake.

 

We know that dedicated and focused team coaches, team leaders and team managers lie behind successful customer-centric organisations in our environment. But just now and then, the simple mantras and personal touches that genuinely inspire outperformance in individuals and in teams can be drowned out by ‘corporate speak.’

 

Sometimes we yearn for a return to a more simple age in terms of strong leadership and greater certainty on how to do things properly and achieve success. We are very much bearing that in mind as we get ready for the launch of Global Standard© Version 6 next week in London.

 

Those planning to join us for the launch will be delighted to know that Version 6 is characterised by sound, practical and relevant guidance on running a successful multi-channel customer service operation in the digital age. I can promise there is not even the merest hint of psychobable.

 

What you get if you undergo Version 6 accreditation is a standards framework that has been planned, designed, implemented, tested and honed by the industry, for the industry. That is why it so effective in meeting the needs of a wide range of organisations and sectors that face similar every day challenges in communicating effectively with and serving the needs of a diverse customer base.

 

Like sports men and women, we all need to practise regularly in order to get better and we all need a means of measuring where we are at, analysing weakness and building on our strengths. One of the most valuable and innovative parts of Version6 is the ‘strength-finder’ element which allows organisations to first of all understand their own strengths in a structured way and then to focus on moving to an even higher performance level. 

 

As a means of staying focused on our goals and achieving top form, I am confident that Version6 will prove a winning formula and look forward to welcoming some of our top-flight customer service players to the launch next week.