Striking the right balance: Functions and football.

I know football isn't everyone's cup of tea- in fact some people couldn't think of a less interesting topic to read about- but I promise this isn't an article about football; this is an article about the subtle art of building a balanced and successful team whether that be on the pitch or in the office.

Football and business are two of my passions in life though so it only seemed natural to look at the similarities that can be found in both when it comes to the difficult balancing act that is identifying where your business excels and where improvements can be made.

Building from the back

When looking at a football team, your defenders are often the under appreciated, un- glamorous and organised figures who keep thinks ticking over and prevent you from conceding silly goals- much like the Customer Service team.

For both its all about, process, effective communication and providing a sense of calm in a chaotic environment. They're easy to forget and often don't get the credit they deserve for keeping you above water- stamping out potentially dangerous situations before they get a chance to escalate and in that sense your customer service manager is the goalkeeper, keeping the whole unit organised under their watchful eye and often acting as the very last line of defence when customers are on the verge being allowed to feel as if they don't matter.

As a function, they might not get the same recognition as those who bring in new business but they certainly make sure you don't lose it and often its only when you're lacking in quality there that you notice how important they are.

Making forward runs

On the flip side, we have the other function involved in the art of goals- the forwards. Skilful, valuable and granted a freedom that other functions aren't afforded, they are tasked with netting the goals that propel you forward- sales anyone?

This is where the big money is spent because everyone knows that a top sales team can give you the cutting edge over the competition and often paper over cracks that may exist elsewhere. Its all about form and when things are going well, you feel untouchable but when the success dries up its an unforgiving position to find yourself in.

 Often praised for their ability to seal the deal and stay cool under pressure, what is often overlooked is their willingness to create opportunities for themselves and to work, work, work when things aren't going their way to get out of a rut- much like a forward making run after run in a game and taking shot after shot because they know eventually they'll start converting those chances and the goals (sales) will start to flow.

Knitting it all together 

Sat in the middle of the pitch you have the midfield- probably the area with the most variety in function but also the least obvious and immediate effect on success and this is where I see the comparison with the 'non-customer facing' roles.

We have the creative marketing roles with a flair and industry that creates chances for your sales team, the diligent and unforgiving credit controllers who chase and position themselves well to protect the business and the essential metronomes of Ops and IT that pull the strings and work behind the scenes to keep everything ticking over.

Every business requires a delicate balance in the 'engine room' as prioritising one function too much over the others will create a catastrophic, unbalancing that will ultimately lead to long term failure. Its easy to be tempted into investing the bare minimum here as their influence is more subtle but as any good manager will tell you- this is where the game is won or lost.

The bigger picture

Now, all of these functions don't just come together on their own and they certainly don't organise themselves into a coherent team by accident- this is where management comes in.

Management teams need to assess the business and decide where the greatest investment should be made to improve results. They need to recruit the correct targets and properly integrate them into the team to try and build upon what they've already got without affecting what made the team so successful in the first place; managing egos, deciding the value of roles within a business and achieving targets with what they have at their disposal.

They have the most responsibility within the business and are tasked with maintaining continuity over long periods of time when the environment is anything but predictable. They need to be firm but also flexible and when things aren't going well, the buck stops with them.

Anyone football fan or employee will tell you in no uncertain teams that a great manager can make the most of a limited team and the worst can steer the best team into failure.

I'd love to know what you think of this analogy and if you have any comparisons of your own that you've come up with to make the strange world of business understandable for yourself our others!