Until recently I wasn’t much of a fan of The World Cup (or soccer/futbol, in general for that matter).
My sports affinity has been more with the North American based sports of baseball, hockey, and American football.
Over the last decade that has started to change.
Due to the influence of a very close business colleague and some family members who live in “futbol” country, I’ve grown to appreciate the game.
The 2018 World Cup football tournament is underway.
There are 32-teams competing, unfortunately the USA is not among them as we didn’t qualify for this year’s event.
BUT, we did just secure with Mexico and Canada the 2026 World Cup.
Why am I writing about this, and what does it mean for you and your business?
Because, one of the things every business needs is a vision and strategy to achieve it. But, it needs to be more than just a vision and strategy, it needs to be a Championship Vision and Strategy.
As of today there are 32 countries in The World Cup and each enters the completion with a championship game vision and strategy of winning The World Cup.
That is a useful strategy to model.
Every business should have a Championship Game Vision & Strategy just like every sports team has one on the first day or training camp.
For baseball teams it’s the World Series, for American football it’s the Super Bowl.
Your business should have a vision that that you can communicate to your employees that is just as compelling and exciting as the one athletes have in their sports.
Have you thought of what your vision is for your company and its strategy to get there?
Most small businesses do not have one.
Most small businesses are just going through the motions.
That doesn’t mean to say they’re not doing good work.
They are serving their customers that keeps them coming back.
But to employees, and even the owner themselves, it’s like….
Ground hog day.
They’re just doing the same thing day after day with no enthusiasm, no excitement for achieving anything other than the next sale, the next paycheck, getting the next order out the door.
For what purpose? Towards what end?
One of my favorite championship game vision and strategies I was able to help my client create.
It was a small business with annual revenues of just under $700K.
The owner, my client, and his employees decided on their Championship Game Vision together. They defined their “Super Bowl,” or “World Series,” as…
“The Million Dollar Challenge!”
Within 18 months their company revenue grew from $660,000 to $880,000 and they were on their way.
Often, the Championship Game Vision & Strategy is not a 12-month, one-season goal.
For example, the USA men’s soccer program needs to get ready for the local event it will co-host in eight years, 2026.
Since we didn’t make the tournament this time around, maybe the Championship Game Vision & Strategy for four years should just be to qualify for the tournament.
From there they can build on that to become a favored contender when the tournament hits the shores of North America in 2026.
What’s your company’s Championship Game Vision & Strategy?
If you don’t have one, start thinking about it. Engage your staff in helping you create it. Everyone will benefit from the inspiration to think about the possibilities a new compelling future offers.
