A lot of us work on the basis that people are successful because they “get lucky”. Out of the blue, that chance comes along and all they have to do is say “yes”.
Well I’ve always regarded myself as very lucky, not basing that on business, amount of work or anything else apart from the health of my family. And I am! But there is more to a booming business than getting lucky. Gary Player, the major winning golfer said: “The more I practice, the luckier I get!” as a bit of a barbed comment towards those who thought he was a flash-in-the-pan champion. He was truly someone who got out of work what he put in.
And I’m sure Sir Alan Sugar believes that if he hadn’t got off his a**e (his parlance) and worked to get his business off the ground, no luck would have come his way.
My point you ask? Well I have been doing some work on my website of late… a few blogs, updating video, and using Twitter and LinkedIn to drive customers to the website which is what social networking gurus say is key to success. And there were times when I thought I was banging my head against a brick wall. But out of the blue, last Monday, I get a call from a man who said he’d seen I was looking for sponsors for two cricket documentaries I had had commissioned by TV channels. Two 10 minute calls later I was heading to a meeting near Liverpool Street station talking to two others who represented the interests of some big brands, who were interested in sponsoring TV programmes.
I did ask the gentleman where he saw my note about needing sponsors. It is on my website, but I suspect some of the other social networking activity had driven him to it…he was unlikely to have found it independently. I am taking it as a major success story for my own efforts at social networking and using blogs to drive people to the website.
This story hasn’t yet had a happy ending by the way, but I am very hopeful. However, it is fair to say that some would say I was lucky…I had my break and it was handed to me on a plate. They won’t know I spent hours writing blogs, reworking the website with Ben, my excellent webmaster, and it eventually paid off.
In football they say it’s better to be a lucky manager than a good one, but my story proves that actually, you rarely get one without the other!
There is no doubt that this week’s speech by David Cameron – whatever he says – will be in stark contrast to that of his Shadow Leader last week. Ed Miliband may well be an impressive communicator on a one-to-one basis and his achievement in getting the unions on board to get him elected as Labour leader was certainly impressive. But let’s take the politics out of this and look at his delivery, the way he talks and gets his message across to the general public. There is a disconnect. It is not working. I am not in the habit of criticising fellow media trainers but I cannot believe he has not had some training since he became leader and things have not improved.
I saw one comment from a prominent BBC broadcaster saying he looks like he is poised to bite an apple four feet away from his nose when he speaks. And another, Rowan Atkinson no less, said he had “presentation issues”.
Image in politics IS crucial. What you say is clearly important but HOW you say it is more so. You can inspire confidence, passion, and show leadership merely in the way you deliver a speech. I suspect David Cameron will get it right in the way he gets his message across this week.
In our media training we talk about “being yourself”, showing your personality, talking in a conversational way which makes people feel you are talking to them and them alone. Maybe Ed Miliband is trying too hard and the ease with which his brother David dealt with such speeches piles the pressure on further of course.
Everything seems to be unnatural – his mannerisms, his use of hands, and what this says to people watching – whether he likes it or not – is that he is not being sincere or even honest. He probably is, but it does not look like it!
It remains to be seen whether he becomes Prime Minister one day and it is the subject of debate as to whether – in this televisual age – a man who can’t communicate effectively will ever be PM. But I remember Gordon Brown, Iain Duncan-Smith and William Hague when I make this point. As leaders they just didn’t “look” credible. It’s hard to believe that Harold Wilson would ever be a leader of the Labour Party in the modern age – Michael Foot’s efforts perhaps proved that… and we must remember that as good an orator as Neil Kinnock was, there was something missing with him in that connection with the public as well.
Ed Miliband does not need a history lesson from me. But he does need to look in the mirror and see for himself what is going wrong. The polls will be his best guide to whether he is capable of changing his image and time is running out.
Capricorn director Robin Bailey currently provides voice-overs for two highly popular sports shows on Sky Sports… Premier League Preview on Friday evening and Saturday morning… and Golfing World on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Golfing World also produces a monthly In-Flight version that you can watch on long-haul flights to all parts of the world.
Capricorn director Robin Bailey will be reporting for BBC’s Score and Final Score on Saturday, 10th December on the Norwich v Newcastle Premier League match and also the Norwich v Fulham game on New Year’s Eve. Follow Robin on his Twitter account @capricornrobin for more information and post match comments on the game.
There is a key principle of good business and it’s fair to say that Carlos Tevez would not understand what it was if it slapped him in the face. “Teamwork” is the word….the importance of working together to achieve one goal, or more in the case of Manchester City in an ideal world. For teams to work, there has to be a leader… on the pitch Tevez’ role as captain was untenable after his transfer request, and he effectively gave up on that honour. Now he happily undermines his manager Roberto Mancini’s authority. When Mancini asked him to play, he refused. Mancini now rightly says Tevez is finished at the Etihad Stadium and there will be hardly any dissenting voices.
Carlos Tevez is a true world talent of football who, in the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, has sold his soul to the devil. In the name of an even fatter salary he acts like a footballing mercenary… and the word “teamwork” just never enters his head.
Now West Ham fans will point to his inspirational part in them staying up in the noughties, only to move to Manchester United the summer after. And that didn’t last long either when United’s arch rivals and noisy neighbours City offered a further-inflated pay packet.
He’s already put in one transfer request, only to backtrack. He uses his family and especially his children in Argentina as an excuse for his bizarre behaviour, when it suits. And his antics during the Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich sum up what he is about.
He just didn’t fancy it. A substitute who didn’t want to play. For most footballers, that’s all they want to do…the salary is incidental. Is Tevez itching for another big money move? How much money does a man need…a debate for another place.
But teamwork is key in life, in business as well as sport.
When I media-trained Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas etc, I impressed on them the value of the team. You don’t criticise your friends and colleagues in public, you maintain a united front, you stay true to your own ambassadorial role within the club. When we talk to businesses, charities, politicians we would say the same in order to protect the company brand, the party, and keep the faith of the public.
No question Manchester City has been damaged by the Munich refusenik. Carlos Tevez probably doesn’t care and is now hastily trying to backtrack. But Roberto Mancini has got it right – Tevez is not a team player and for the team to succeed it has to move on without him.
Capricorn has secured two commissions for cricket programmes and we are looking or a sponsor to cover production costs. A sponsor would receive break bumper advertising on these programmes which are assured of many repeats to this mass audience.
Our commissions are for a cricket documentary to run during the Indian Premier League on ITV4 in 2012, and also for 2012, in September, a special feature on the Lashings World Eleven that travels around England and beyond raising money for schools, and other worthy cricket causes. This will run on Sky Sports.
The sums required are £40k to £50k which big brand marketing teams will understand represents a great value entry into TV advertising.
Who is Max Mosley trying to kid when he says Ryan Giggs’ recent antics should not be published. Hugh Grant came out with much the same argument a week or so back, although he actually wants the tabloid press banned, scrapped, censored, the lot.
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How interesting that Twitter and other social networking has been banned by the New Zealand All Blacks management for the duration of the world cup in September and October this year.
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Our next studio days will be in November 2011. Send an email to register interest.
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So Manchester United lost the Champions League! No surprise there in the end. Barcelona are arguably the best team ever.
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