Ok, so who isn’t disappointed in England losing in the semi-final? I’m disappointed, but then again, I can see the positives. There is a team who have thrown off the shackles of “you get to play for England because you earn the most money” to a squad of players, under a leadership that is very well defined, who is looking at not only talent, but also the ability to work as a team.
Teamwork is an essential part of our social and working lives and we often underestimate the strength that a team can bring to situations. From the simple things, working together the bring about a common goal or achievement, to driving innovation and ideas, the teams that we build are the essence of a successful life. I even see our customers as an extension of the risual team. Without you, we would not be able to adapt and learn through the challenges that you set us. Much like Southgate’s England adapting to the opposition, we have to continually adapt to what our clients need, extending the boundaries of imagination to come up with solutions or initiatives that offer great benefit and value.
Within risual, it’s great to see how our diverse teams come together to achieve success. There might be an expert at a particular subject within our organisation however, even our experts rely on other areas within risual to come up with the ideas that best suit our customer’s needs. Again, Southgate has brought together a collection of experts but individually, they are nothing. Collectively, they are a force to be reckoned with. Beating Colombia in a penalty shootout involved a whole host of individuals working together and it showed, to our collective sighs of relief on that balmy Tuesday evening.
I move onto last night. The World Cup Semi-Final. Who would have even thought that a few weeks back? I certainly didn’t, but there is definitely one valuable lesson we should take and I’m sure Gareth Southgate and the team will agree. Sitting back invites pressure, which contributes to defeat. In our working lives, being comfortable in our position is the same thing. If we relax and just do our jobs, those around us will move forwards and a downward spiral will exist which can only end in defeat, both individually and as an organisation. The continual learning and development we do here at risual in some way combats this, but we can’t do it without our customers applying pressure to drive us onto the front foot. Yes, we might have lost that game, but the pride we take from it is to adapt and learn, move forwards not backwards.
I am 44 years of age, and have given up trying to out-think the talent that exists in our company. Talent is a great aspect of working at risual, we have an abundance of it, but without the teamwork ethic that exists in our company, talent alone won’t answer the call and win the day. Even in a small team such as mine, bringing talent on is not an individual challenge. We do this as a team. I find it incredible, that I essentially work for a 21 year old woman, who drives me to extend my boundaries to a whole other level. Yet, within our business relationship-, she still engages and listens to my experience. Its a perfect team. But that is what Gareth Southgate is starting to build. A perfect team. We should always look to the talent we have, and we should always be humble that we will always learn from each other.
Southgate’s England will eventually win, whether the World Cup or the European Championships. He’ll do this not by focusing on certain individuals, as England managers have done in the past, but by focusing on a strong team ethic.
