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Leadership Insights from your trusted advisor and partner in success
My Executive Solutions Inc
November, 2010 Issue # 4
Lessons on  Winning

A fascinating look at ESPN and its success as a brand



How do you become recognized as a successful pioneer in business?


One of the most practical and entertaining success stories with "winning lessons" is told in the book "ESPN: The Company" by Dr. Anthony F. Smith with Keith Hollihan. Smith and Hollihan tell the fascinating story of how ESPN managed to sustain its growth, innovation, and brand in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving marketplace...a great story to learn from.


 

 The ESPN story began when a few visionary sports "fanatics" seized an opportunity to provide the American public with more sports content at exactly the time when emerging technology made this practical.  The traditional news completely missed the early opportunities ESPN scooped up.  In part, that innovative vision explains the early success of the organization in staking its claim on the sports world.  ESPN grew to be the 24/7 pioneer and U.S. producer of televised sports content over cable networks. Today ESPN is the most powerful and prominent name in sports media. The enormous success of ESPN did not happen by chance, it happened thanks to  a powerful vision, effective decision-making, strong visionary leadership, and customer (fans) focused corporate culture. The authors share the lessons learned at ESPN about launching and growing a wildly successful enterprise-all the while enhancing economic and human value,  growing their people and giving them opportunity to have impact.

A few of these lessons are recapped below:



Turning Fanatics into Fans


  •  Hire fanatics. As Smith says, "other successful companies have also turned fanatics into fans - on the customer and employee side - but those organizations are rare. You need the energy of true believers in your mission to sustain an unreasonable vision that goes beyond the ordinary.
  •  Be ready when the red light goes on. Be ready with an "audacious but attainable commitment." Convey a sense of urgency.
  •  Serve fans or customers.   This is the deceptively simple mission statement of ESPN.  "It isn't about the enterprise, it's about the customer."  All business decisions from the CEO to the front-line must be made through that filter.


Blow the Whistle, Spot the Ball

  

 
  •  Take a chance and make it happen.  The goal is to adjust and make it work.  Instead of an earlier attitude of "let's just admit defeat and go to Plan B," people are encouraged to think creatively, make decisions, and then move quickly. 
  • Reward risk-taking behavior, not just outcomes.  "If you value (smart) risk-taking, then you must reward the process and the behavior, not just the successful outcome. Risking too little is just as dangerous to a business as risking too much.
  • Stay friends and have a short memory.  In business relationships, leaders will inevitably frustrate each other at times.  This is especially true if you are in a company that values risk taking and aggressive thinking.  Be prepared to make mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and then forgive others.


Play Well with Others


  • Seek transformational, not transactional relationships.  Initial deals should be done if they work well for all parties, and because they have the potential to lead to other mutually beneficial deals.
  • Clarify the goals, roles, and procedures (GRPs) up front.  Most partnerships fail because there is not enough clarity established at the beginning of the relationship.  Be clear about what each party expects to gain from the relationship.
  •  Like all relationships, partnerships need ongoing work.  Smith says many partnerships fail because one or all parties assume that once the deal is done that they can relax.

 

Think like an Incumbent, Act like a Challenger


  • Let insecurity drive achievement.  Great leaders and organizations work on their insecurities head-on.  They are proactive in confronting weaknesses.
  • "A little organizational schizophrenia can be a good thinking.  This requires a tough leadership-balancing act to stay confident while maintaining constant drive to improve and develop.
  • Deviate from the start.  To achieve incredible growth and success in an established area requires a lot of thought about where you can be distinctively different.
  • When the model doesn't work, turn it over. Smith recommends that organizations need to focus on results to determine if their current processes and systems are working.

The Right Leaders at the Right Time


  • Every stage of an organization demands a different type of leadership.  In alignment with the Hersey and Blanchard model of Situational Leadership, Smith believes that a start-up company needs different leadership than a mature established company.
  • Exploit your leadership strengths and surround yourself with other leaders who compensate for your weaknesses.  Smart leaders realize that they need to leverage their strengths and develop their weaknesses; savvy executives surround themselves with others to compensate for their weaknesses.
  • Don't be fooled by the myths of leadership.  Bottom line:  always look for the next great leader of your organization, even if they don't fit the classic profile.


Reflections....

  • Where are your strengths with "lessons on unreasonable winning?"
  • Where are you missing opportunities?  What are you going to do about it?
  • Are you keeping your eyes and ears open to identify your next potential opportunities for your organization?


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