Chris Botwood’s Post

🌟 Teamwork (really does) Make the Dream Work! 🌟 As I close my laptop on another great day of being a Franchisor with the WOW World Group, I can't help but reflect on the incredible power of teamwork. It's not just about achieving personal success, but also about being part of something bigger, something greater than ourselves. Imagine my evening yesterday: being able to switch off from the daytime role and immerse yourself in the world of football. Picture yourself at the iconic Manchester City football stadium, surrounded by the Mersey Medical Services Ltd team of dedicated individuals who share the same passion and drive to provide an outstanding service. But it doesn't stop there. In this scenario, you are not only a first responder, but also working as part of a multidisciplinary team, including the esteemed North West Ambulance Service. Your role is to ensure the safety and well-being of all the spectators and staff, creating an atmosphere where everyone can fully enjoy the game. So let's take a moment to appreciate the power of teamwork. When we come together, we can achieve remarkable things. Whether it's an induction of a new franchisee in the business world or ensuring the safety and enjoyment of football fans, the magic lies in the collective effort. And what a game! The atmosphere was electric with over 50,000 spectators. Remember, it's not just about the end result, but the journey we take together. #Teamwork #DreamWork #ManchesterCity #Football #NWAS #AmbulanceServices #Spectators #EnjoyTheGame

As the summer transfer window in Belgium closed, time to work on integrating the new players quickly into the existing squad. What activities are you planning to help the new players adapt to the club culture, and how do you make sure your staff and the other players get to know the newly arrived personalities and their unique contribution to the team? In our book 'The Sport Brain', we talk about the sense and nonsense of teambuilding activities. Often, these are treated with cynicism. True, it's almost impossible to establish a direct causal relationship between a specific teambuilding activity and what's displayed on the field. But well-designed teambuilding activities do have their merit. Relationships can change significantly during such activities. The striker with thirty goals might not be the big hero for once, and conversely, someone who usually plays a supporting role on the field might suddenly lead the others. These situations challenge players and help forge stronger bonds, as well as a better appreciation and understanding of each other during the season. Teambuilding can also help players gain a better understanding of the high-performance environment they're in, emphasizing that they must execute their tasks meticulously but also share common tasks and goals. However, there must always be an element added to the activities you organize: interdependence to achieve a goal, sharing information to find a solution, balancing the goals of one's own small team versus the common good, and so on. Moreover, the activity becomes effective only when followed by a debriefing session. It should provide food for thought and discussion, help players better understand themselves and others, and create an environment focused on "learning together," providing feedback (both positive and negative), and recognizing the responsibility of each team member. #teambuilding #sportpsychology #mentalcoaching #sportbrain

As the summer transfer window in Belgium closed, time to work on integrating the new players quickly into the existing squad. What activities are you planning to help the new players adapt to the club culture, and how do you make sure your staff and the other players get to know the newly arrived personalities and their unique contribution to the team? In our book 'The Sport Brain', we talk about the sense and nonsense of teambuilding activities. Often, these are treated with cynicism. True, it's almost impossible to establish a direct causal relationship between a specific teambuilding activity and what's displayed on the field. But well-designed teambuilding activities do have their merit. Relationships can change significantly during such activities. The striker with thirty goals might not be the big hero for once, and conversely, someone who usually plays a supporting role on the field might suddenly lead the others. These situations challenge players and help forge stronger bonds, as well as a better appreciation and understanding of each other during the season. Teambuilding can also help players gain a better understanding of the high-performance environment they're in, emphasizing that they must execute their tasks meticulously but also share common tasks and goals. However, there must always be an element added to the activities you organize: interdependence to achieve a goal, sharing information to find a solution, balancing the goals of one's own small team versus the common good, and so on. Moreover, the activity becomes effective only when followed by a debriefing session. It should provide food for thought and discussion, help players better understand themselves and others, and create an environment focused on "learning together," providing feedback (both positive and negative), and recognizing the responsibility of each team member. #teambuilding #sportpsychology #mentalcoaching #sportbrain

Thrilled to reflect on my recent experience at ICE London 2024. What an event it was! Sharing here a few pointers on making the most of your time: Plan Your Schedule: Build your day around important meetings and stick to the plan. Take breaks in between to recharge – a breath of fresh air, some still water, and a break from the phone can work wonders. Embrace Brand Engagement: Make the most of your time by exploring stands and immersing yourself in new experiences. Interacting with others can lead to unexpected insights and connections. Choose Your Parties Wisely: With many friends in town, it's crucial to strike a balance between networking and rest. Stay prepared for the next day's meetings by choosing your social engagements wisely. Keep Your Pitch Fresh: Flexibility is key when presenting new products. Pay attention to how people react to your pitch – their feedback might open unexpected doors. My personal highlight? Engaging with F1 sims at the GR8 Tech stand and experiencing DATA.BET offerings firsthand. Racing against Lucas Blakeley the F1 Sim Racing World Champion was nothing short of surreal! I can't help but wonder if a bit of practice at the Silverstone circuit beforehand might have secured me that coveted the main prize. But hey, it's all part of the thrill, isn't it? Here's to unforgettable moments and the anticipation of more adventures ahead! ✨ #ICELondon #Networking #ExperienceSharing #UnforgettableMoments

Spain’s win last night reminded us what happens when a team finds an identity to become something much greater than the sum of its parts. Watching last night’s final unfold I was struck by what it revealed about the character of the two teams. Gareth Southgate has instilled a culture of pride and resilience to this England team, which has showed itself moments of individual brilliance from Bellingham, Saka, Watkins and Palmer. Yet Spain have something that transcends all their individual brilliance, what Guillaume Ballague called “layers”, a culture that weaves resilience, creativity, adaptability and so much more into a personality that feels whole and separate from the sum of its parts. This is what every team should aspire to, whether in sport or in business. So many organisations try to build and live their culture, but a culture has to be understood and grown on a cellular level. Gareth has done a great job in projecting his own values onto his team, but it feels skin deep.  We don’t have Spain’s training infrastructure, where layers of craft are nurtured from a young age and where players and managers can work together to express a thing of beauty. This concept of layers is what is at the heart of The Human Organisation, a framework that helps businesses look at themselves as if they were a person, to find a deeper understanding of who they are and who they can be. I’m piloting this framework with Jindy Mann and you can find out more about it here: https://lnkd.in/e2UTBYUX. #thehumanorganisation, #culture, #transformation

Corporate speak is alive and well. To set the scene let me quote from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll. “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’ ’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’ ’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.” We have two top contenders for this week...and the week has just started. 1. Qantas: Who would have thought that when we purchased a ticket we actually weren't. We were buying a 'bundle of rights' to fly NOT a seat on a particular flight and that Qantas does not guarantee flight times or flight schedules'. And, even if they did, which apparently they don't, it was 'systems limitations' that were really at fault for continuing to sell non-seats on cancelled flights. So now we're clear - right? Wrong. But wait...there's more 2. Hamish McLennan, he of ARU Chairmanship, let's hold a month-long party in Paris for the duration of the RWC fame, is now urging the rugby union community to channel their anger at Eddie (or him) to 'the system that needs changing'. Don't you know 'the system is broken'. Hamish, like Qantas, absolve themselves of any responsibility, personal or corporate. The former has become an icon of 'falling upwards'...taking no responsibility for any of his decisions while the latter seems to think verbal gymnastics will bamboozle the ACCC by redefining the meaning of words like 'seat' and 'ticket' to 'bundle of rights' and 'process/system failures. Qantas seems to miss the point. That the ACCC isn't suing them for cancelling or delaying flights, but for continuing to sell tickets to cancelled flights for an average of 16 days and up to 47 days. So, 'the system' is to blame. The System can and apparently does, mean so many things. From no seats on a booked flight to the appointment of Eddie Jones, the resignation of Eddie Jones, the woeful performance of the Wallabies, the selling of phantom seats on Qantas flights..maybe it could even be responsible for the complete failure of central banks to pick higher inflation for longer, the chaotic approach to hitting our net zero targets? I certainly know 'the system' is at fault for my newspaper delivery which, on 70% of the time ends up in the gutter rather than outside my front gate. #ARU #wallabies #corporatespeak #corporateculture #busineswriting #knowledgesharing #qantas #ACCC #accountability #writemybook #bookcoaching #bookcoach

🎥🎬Behind the scenes of the preparation for our quarterly kickoff. Our corporate areas recorded the news so that our Crossers can keep up to date. #Crossjoin #OfficeLife #BehindTheScenes #BTS #TeamWork

Many of us are probably familiar with (and amazed by) F1 pitstops. It is often characterised as great teamwork. But beyond teamwork, for pit stops, there are at least 3 key elements: 1. Each person does one thing. 2. Each thing is done by one person (this is different from the 1st point). 3. Each thing matters. Applying back to our work, possible questions to ask ourselves are: 1. Are our people doing too many different types of things at same time? 2. Do we have things that are done by too many people before they are considered done? 3. Can we stop doing the things that we are doing? When we were chatting about this internally, my astute workmate, Gregory Chia, made a sharp observation: “In a regular car workshop, the same tasks are probably done by a couple of workers, in much longer time, and considered mundane work. But in F1 context, it's done by a large team, and considered sexy work.” I thought it was a brilliant point. I guess beyond all the usual comebacks about how F1 is more glamorous etc, one key differentiating factor might be this - A pitstop is viewed as a critical cog in the wheel (pun intended). It has outsized impact to the race outcome, which in itself is high stakes. Hence, to make our work sexy, we must (among many other things) get everyone to see that the work that they do is a critical cog in the wheel, which has outsized impact to a high-stakes outcome. Which in turn point back to the questions I raised. Thought it was an interesting discussion. Hope this makes some sense to you. Have a great evening! #TeamCPF #LifeInCPFB