Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audacious, Culture, England, Football, Freddie, Music, My Childhood, Pride, Queen, Sport
Today, England play their first ever football final on foreign soil.
Do we deserve to be here?
Well, the fact we’re here means the answer has to be yes, however if truth be told, we owe a lot to luck.
And persistence.
And skill.
But mainly luck.
Because apart from one 45 minute spell, we have been pretty rubbish but that means nothing given we’re now just 90 minutes from history. Maybe not history for everyone else, but it definitely is for England, in terms of team and nation.
And while I think Spain will win it, it is quite the achievement. Especially for the manager, who has faced an endless barrage of abuse and yet leads us to the 2nd European Final in a row.
That said I hope we win.
Not just for the players and the country – though I fear what some of the fans may do whether we win or lose – but also for the new Government. Because nothing will piss off the Tories more than Labour coming in on a massive majority and then having the national men’s team win a major European football title, hahahaha.
But for the England team … I can’t imagine how they must be feeling today.
The conflict of emotions.
Fear and excitement.
Nerves and belief.
Pressure and energy.
But that said, I do have an idea of what they will feel like as they play and if they win.
Not because of anything I’ve done, but because of things I’ve witnessed.
From watching Queen achieve music immortality as they performed to the World at Live Aid back in 1985 through to watching Robert Plant – of Led Zeppelin – reaction as he watched Heart perform ‘Stairway To Heaven’ as part of his bands induction into the Kennedy Centre Honours List. It made such an impression on me that I wrote about it here and you can watch the film I’m referring to below.
Both still give me shivers even now, years later … so I cannot imagine what it must have felt like – or still feels like – for the artists. Just like I can’t imagine what the players tonight are experiencing or will experience, should they win. Or should they lose.
And that’s why I hope they – and the England fans around the World – remember that while 2nd place is never as good as first, it’s still an incredible achievement to find yourself in a position where you can make history.
Literally make history.
To achieve something that will be written about, referred to, commented on for decades, if not centuries. Fucking hell, that must be an utterly extroidinary and intense experience to try and deal with. To manage. And carry.
So good luck. I hope you pull it off England.
May the next 90 minutes be full of joy, rather than fear or regret.
Let’s go …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, England, Fans, Football, Sport
I’m typing this as England are playing the Dutch in the Euro’s.
It’s currently 1-1.
I know … I know … this is a level of topicality this blog has never achieved in 20 years.
Anyway, while England have generally been pants this tournament, they’re playing well in this match … and what is interesting is how much of that energy transfers to the fans, watching or listening to the game be it at home, in pubs or in the stadium.
It’s a good reminder about the importance of energy.
Of giving your all.
Of showing how much you care.
Because even if it doesn’t quite work, energy is infectious.
It pulls people in. It captures their imagination. Makes them believe.
I can’t tell you how many pitches – especially in Asia – we won, because of our energy.
Not because of logic.
Not because of our prices.
Not because of how easy we made it.
Not because of our proprietary systems.
Not because we were pandering sycophants.
But because they felt how much we had put into what we were doing. How much we wanted to create something special. How much we were into what we were showing them. So even if the work wasn’t what they liked, they liked what we had put into the work.
In these times where the talk is about optimisation, efficiencies, AI and programatic, it’s worth remembering how much energy and passion is the real winner.
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Update: Fuck me, we won. We bloody won.
Proof energy can create results, near-history never suggests.
On to the bloody Euro final. Again. Incredible.
Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Football, Nottingham, Nottingham Forest, Sport
By the time this comes out, I will know if Nottingham Forest have got relegated or not.
And while at the time of writing – April 26th – they’re [just] out the relegation places, I fear that will change.
Not simply because Everton are basically clear having beaten Liverpool last night.
Not simply because we’re playing Man City this weekend.
But because – if I’m being honest – we deserve to god down.
I hate saying that.
I pray for a miracle – or should I say, luck.
But it’s been a season that never seemed to get going … undermined by bad choices, petulant behaviour and – thanks to the Premier League and Referees Association – wrongful and unfair decisions.
What has made this worse is that for 2 years … it was wonderful being a Forest fan.
Magical even.
A togetherness between club and fans that I’d never felt.
Not even in the glory years of the late 70’s and 80’s.
It was a togetherness that basically willed them to glory.
Pushed them over the line to the supposed promised land.
And gave me one of the best days of my life in one of the worst periods of life.
And what did we find when we finally got there after those decades of pain and under-delivery?
Well, excitement … and disappointment.
Some of our making. A lot of where the game has gone.
And all of this was made worse by use and our cauldron of chaos.
No strategy. No plan. Just mayhem.
To be fair, some of this was to be expected given we got promoted with a load of loan players and no real expectation of ‘going up’ that season … hence we had to buy a squad in the blink of an eye. And some of it was because our owner has an incredible ambition and has backed that up with a level of investment we could never imagine. [Which, sadly, also was not allowed by the out-of-touch rules for promoted team spending]
But it seems we didn’t learn from those mistakes and mayhem this season and instead of letting our football do our talking, we allowed a side show of mess to get the spotlight and the headlines.
Some was justified. Most wasn’t.
It ended up being a distraction to the club and the fans … causing division, internal fighting and a label of being spoilt kids.
I want us to stay up, but if I’m honest – we shouldn’t.
Luton Town should, because they have shown the fight and togetherness we’ve sadly missed.
Not because we don’t have good players – we do, arguably the best we’ve ever had – but because we don’t have a common belief or philosophy.
Or should I say, not a consistent one.
Stubbornness. Arrogance. Misplaced expectations all added up to bad – or delayed – decisions that have cost us with the result being a team who took over 20+ years to get here, looking like a team who don’t deserve to stay here.
On one level, relegation will be a relief. The ability to let go of the angst and start again. But I don’t doubt the pain would then come back hard. The worry of not going back up. Of not learning our lessons. Of seeing good people and players being let go and replaced with imposters and imitations. Of being the poster child for failure. Again.
So I hope for a miracle almost as much as I hope for a reset.
To refocus.
Reconnect.
Reunite.
Fans. City. Team.
Because I love my club, but I don’t love what the Premiership turned us – and our fans – into.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Content, Emotion, Empathy, Entertainment, Football, Happiness, Love, Loyalty, Netflix, Sport
For a Monday, a post about misery, tragedy and death feels especially appropriate.
You see there’s a show on Netflix called, Sunderland Til’ I Die.
It’s about Sunderland Athletic Football Club where over 3 seasons, they follow the fall … and fall … and slight rise of the team and the affect this has on the players, the fans and the community that surrounds them.
It’s a story of mismanagement, false promises, hope, dreams, pain and desperation and frankly, it’s one of the best shows on Netflix, let alone football.
I’ve watched it countless times because it’s more than a story about football, it’s about how it feels to be left behind by society, industry and government.
A situation many people following many different football teams experience and face all around the World.
Anyway – without wanting to give anything away – the above quote comes from the show.
It’s not a pivotal moment in the series and yet it impacts you like it is.
Because the context of it makes you think about what you’re doing, what you’re working for and towards in your life.
What legacy will you leave?
Will you be remembered?
Will you have mattered?
I appreciate that sounds quite deep for a show about a football team in the North of England, but it’s that good.
Leaving you with understanding why it’s so important to love forever and always.
Regardless of the times or the challenges.
Because at the end of the day, it matters. Even when it hurts like a motherfucker.
It’s a brilliant lesson for life which is why, while I’ll never be a Sunderland fan, I’ll always be a fan of Sunderland.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Apathy, Attitude & Aptitude, Career, Colleagues, Comment, Creativity, Culture, Empathy, Football, Fulfillment, Leadership, Management, Nottingham Forest, Relationships, Relevance, Reputation, Resonance
One of the things I’ve always believed is that the role of a boss is to ensure that when their people leave – and they always will – they are going to a job that they didn’t previously think was possible for them.
A role where it is as much about who they are as what they do.
A position based on what they’ve made not just what they’ve written.
An opportunity created because they want to hire them rather than there’s a hire needing to be filled.
OK, there is one other scenario that makes me happy and that’s when someone leaves for love, family or to explore a personal passion … however in terms of ‘direct’ career moves, I feel I’ve done my job for my team when they leave for what I call, ‘a bigger life’.
Has this always happened?
No. No it hasn’t … however I am extremely proud that in the main, it has.
I should point out here I am in no way trying to take credit for my old colleagues success. The reality is they did it all by themselves … my only role was to ensure I created the conditions, environment and standards that let their talent and ambitions be expressed, pushed and celebrated.
This last bit is important because while the industry sometimes feels it rewards popularity more than experience, a career is built on what you do, not what you say.
Or said another way: What you’re willing to put in, not just what you want to take out.
Let me be clear, I am not suggesting you have to work to the extreme in terms of hours or workload.
Apart from that being completely counter-productive to enabling you to be the best you can be, who – apart from Tom in Succession – wants a career based on ‘being able to take more shit than someone else’?
That doesn’t mean you don’t have to graft – you do – but as I’ve written in the past, graft is very different to working to the bone or engaging in that other evil beast, hustle culture.
So what do I mean by graft?
Well, there are many interpretations, but for me – this quote by Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, kind of captures it best.
The significant part is this: “I think I can make you who you want to be as a player. But it is your decision to come?”
Your decision to come.
YOUR decision to come.
The acknowledgement that to move forward, you have to choose to do it.
No shortcuts. No handouts. No guarantees. Yet you still have to show up.
But what I also love about that line is the bit that comes before ‘your decision to come’.
Because in just 14 words, the coach has told Taiwo they:
1. Believe in his ability but won’t make false promises.
2. Are focused on Taiwo’s ambitions and aspiration are, not theirs.
3. Will commit their energy to the pursuit of helping Taiwo achieve his goal/s.
Shared responsibility.
Shared commitment.
Shared effort.
In essence, he removed all the pressure being just on the player by saying to them, that they’re in this journey, together.
What this means is Taiwo knows the focus is on where he wants to be, not just what someone wants him to do.
That his graft will not be in vain.
That there’s a productivity to all he puts in.
And that success won’t simply be measured by what his boss achieves, but what his boss helps him achieve.
But, to have all that, the expectation is he demonstrates it through his actions and behaviours each day.
It won’t be easy.
It definitely isn’t a given.
But if you choose to take this chance – not just theoretically, but with everything you’ve got – then they will commit to helping you get where you hope you can be.
And maybe even beyond that.
Sadly I don’t know if that same attitude is embraced by our industry much these days. Of course it’s there with some people, but it’s unlikely to be the norm.
And why do I say that?
Because we’re seeing less and less training in companies these days … and what there is, is often outsourced to a ‘for profit’ individual/company who often are only doing it for self-serving reasons. And what this is resulting in is less independent thought and/or good people leaving the industry.
This kills me, because I love this industry.
Sure, it can drive me nuts but at its best, it’s something truly special.
Special work.
Special people.
Special possibilities.
It has also given me a life that – in all honesty – I never imagined was possible, however I had some bosses through the years who were like Taiwo’s and for that I am eternally grateful to them. [Just so you know, I also had some utter pricks, but I’m even grateful to them because they showed me who I will never want to be]
This post has gone on for far too long which is why I’ll leave anyone who has got this far with a gift.
If you want to know if you’re working for a company that really cares about your growth or cares more about their own, ask your CFO this simple question:
“What percentage of the companies budget is dedicated to staff training”.
Trust me, their answer will tell you all you need to know.
You’re welcome.