Blog

Introduction

In this Growth Engine Daily Video, just something on my mind after watching Argentina – Iceland game in the World Cup.

That is the right person for the job ”at that moment in time”.

So, quick backdrop, big football fan.

Those who don’t know, big Evertonian, so I like to play football the right way.

Especially you Reds over at Stanley Park, I’d love to hear what you guys are going to say about this.

But outside of that, I was talking and relating this recent instance in this Argentinian – Iceland game, that the right person for the right job.

But then, put an extension onto that; ‘At that moment in time’.

World Cup 2018 Argentina Vs Iceland

Here’s the story.

One – one, Aguero scored for Argentina.

I can’t even pronounce the guy’s name who scored for Iceland, I apologise for the pronunciation.

But, one-one in the game, 63, 64 minutes.

Argentina was killing them all over the park but couldn’t score.

The penalty is given.

So, the person who picks up the ball and puts it on the spot, Lionel Messi.

There’s nobody in the world who’s going to argue with me, or me against, that Messi’s not the right person to take a penalty because of what he is and what he isn’t.

But my challenge is, was the right person in that game to take that penalty?

By the way, the outcome of that is he missed.

The Icelandic goalkeeper who’s actually a part-time film director, and he even did the Eurovision song contest for Iceland as a production director on film in 2012.

Messi wasn’t having the best of games in my view, and it’s only an opinion, but he certainly wasn’t having the best of games.

Aguero had already scored in the game, so confident, bullish, buoyant.

But Messi picked up the ball and put it on the spot.

Took the penalty, weren’t a great penalty.

Better save than it was a penalty miss.

At that point, obviously, one-one-on the game, World Cup, go from there.

So, I’ve already discussed that Messi taking the penalty, you could argue, is right.

If we are down on Sales or Marketing, Sales and Marketing Director’s job.

But I’m challenging you, I think that the great leaders are the ones who actually assess the situation there and then.

Just because we’ve got a penalty and just because we’ve got Messi on the team, is it right to give Messi the ball?

I’m challenging that I don’t think it is.

So in the HR situation, you know, we’ve got maybe an employee who’s a little bit rogue.

Is the HR Director the best person?

Because as soon as the HR Director gets involved.

Ultimately there’s aggression or there is friction or anything else you want to put in there with the employee.

They’re like, “Oh God, the big guns are coming out for me.”

Sometimes, what I’m saying is, would it have been better for a middle manager or even a colleague on the same level as those, to address that with the employee first?

Sure, I’m all for the protocol to the fact that if it eventually goes past immediate rectification or you try and make the best assessments at the time.

Then you do eventually give that ball to Messi or you give that HR problem to the HR Director.

But sometimes, making the obvious choice sometimes backfires.

It did for Argentina.

Again, you could say, “Mike, anybody could miss a penalty.”

Of course, they could.

Nine times out of ten, Messi may have scored.

But today, he didn’t.

Was Messi The Right Person At That Time To Take The Penalty?

I didn’t think he was on his game.

I thought he was flat; I thought he was bang average at best, and that’s saying, isn’t it?

“Bang average” for when you put Messi in the same sentence.

But he didn’t have a great game, and I just think that there were better players on the pitch to take that penalty for Argentina in a World Cup that could have got them off to a flying start.

I want you to think about that in your business, especially when it comes to customers.

Think about it this way.

On a more positive side, if you’ve got an account, a key account, and you know maybe that key account’s doing OK, it’s producing the orders, but the growth in that account is not right.

Maybe you’ve got a specific person in that Sales or Account Management role who’s looking after that account.

They’ve been with you a while, they’re loyal, they do a good job.

But maybe they’re flatlining that account or they’re not growing it at the right amount of growth that you want it to.

Assess it, analyse the data, and then if necessary, change Account Managers.

Put a fresh impetus into it, and don’t be fearful of what that Account Manager says.

Don’t be fearful what Lionel Messi says if you take the ball off him and give it to Aguero, or anybody else who’s better at taking penalties or they’re having a better game.

So it’s just food for thought.

I do these from time to time.

Sometimes I have a rant, sometimes I’ll just share with you what’s on my mind and how those connect in business.

The decisions that you can make to ultimately get better with your growth, get better at putting these growth engines into your business.

Share with me your successes where you did make those decisions, you did sort of go against the grain.

Maybe you upset some people, but the outcome was great.

Also, share with us any of these that you did that and it didn’t work.

I think as a community we could all learn a little bit more about that