Have a great culture

Great companies are aware that a good culture should be the glue that holds every aspect of their business together. Set out to create a great culture at the same time you define your strategy. The two should go hand in hand. If that isn’t the case, then you won’t build the strong foundations any business needs.

At the recruitment level, sport is focusing more and more on getting the right people. Not just the right ‘players’, but the right ‘people’. When scouting for new players, Premier League football clubs are interested in a player’s character, how he interacts with people, his attitudes, as much as his playing ability.

Sometimes at work, you’ll hear bad behaviour from senior management defended with a phrase such as “he’s actually a really nice guy away from work”. In sports teams, that doesn’t wash. You represent your club everywhere you go and follow codes of behaviour at work and at play – if you don’t, there are consequences.