Champagne Super-Over

What your business can learn from England’s amazing cricketing success

Yesterday was an extraordinary day.

Yes, the tennis was amazing. Yes, Hamilton was magnificent. But both were eclipsed by what England achieved at Lords.

In what was the greatest game of cricket ever played, with the most dramatic end to a sporting event in my lifetime, England won the World Cup.

I was sucked into the event and I’ve never even liked cricket – until yesterday that was.

Here’s the really impressive thing, four years ago England were a mediocre, ‘at-best-average’, one day team who had been left behind as the sport had progressed. They’d been left playing an analogue game whilst the rest of the world had gone digital.

But now they’re champions of the world; an amazing turnaround in just four years.

Following an embarrassing exit from the last World Cup (in the Group stages) two men came together with a goal and a plan and yesterday at Lords, in a ‘champagne super over’ they made history.

Andrew Strauss and Eoin Morgan set a goal, put in place a plan, built a team that believed, and together they single-mindedly achieved exactly what they set out to achieve.

I was exhausted and inspired in equal measure yesterday.

Boy was it tense. But it was also incredibly inspiring.

We can all move our businesses, our drawings, our profits from wherever we are now to where we want them to be. And the model is right there in front of us.

All the quality papers today are running in depth analyses of exactly how England did it. In simple terms they did this:

• Set a clear measurable goal; (Win the World Cup)
• Work out exactly what must happen to get there; (They changed everything. Morgan, the captain, gave up all other forms of cricket so he could focus completely. This was radical re-thinking, not a few tweaks here and there…)
• Find the right people (players and back room); (Again, the thinking shifted fundamentally regarding who was in the squad and what was expected of them; the entire coaching structure changed)
• Stay focused. (Complete dedication. No distractions.)

I’m not saying it’s easy but… you could do that with your business couldn’t you?

In relative terms, you’re no worse off than the England cricket team were in 2015 – and they’re now, deservedly, top of the world.

You could be there four years from now. Your goals achieved.

You deserve the success you crave.

You’re worthy of that success.

And it’s doable. Achievable.

If you use the same Plan…

It’s there if you want it.

Several of our advertisers have clear plans and are doing amazingly well.

It can happen for you to.

I’m fired up today because the English cricket team have shown that when you create a good plan and stick to it, applying focus, hard work and creating your own luck anything is possible.

Thanks for reading and I hope you make this week one to remember.

Nik