A belated apology for a mixup in the signature on Monday’s Daily Insider. Hopefully you guessed that it was me (not Felicity) who made the trip to the football in Lincoln on Saturday. At least it wasn’t as bad as the other mixup where the note which appeared under my signature was actually Felicity writing about an experience shared with one of her boyfriends…
We worked really hard on fixing that kind of mistake. After the first glitch, we installed systems which were supposed to ensure a repeat was avoided. Monday showed that solution hadn’t worked, so we’ve done another deep dive into the tech. Because we’re obsessed about getting the details right, believing that the rest flows from that kind of solid foundation.
Unlike often repeated corporate mantras like “don’t sweat the small stuff”, experience has shown me good businesses are built on understanding the small bits. Something reaffirmed during that visit to Lincoln where it was soon obvious the club’s astonishing recent achievements are no fluke. They’ve been built on getting the details right.
Sport can offer solid lessons for business. Especially an endeavour closely related to cash as the meritocracy of English professional football. If you haven’t yet had a listen to my podcast with Lincoln City’s chairman Clive Nates, invest half an hour. In terms of practical advice on how to turn around a business in a highly competitive area, it beats any business school lecture. Hands down.
