Tackling Business Challenges - Lessons Learned from the 2023 Rugby World Cup - Part Deux

Introduction

This marks the second post in a series of discussions that connect aspects of rugby (*cough* the greatest sport on the planet) and explore its relevance to the business world. In our first discussion (Part 1: Control the Controllables https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ryanjsmith12_rugby-sportbusiness-entrepreneurship-activity-7125465388166893568-sekp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop), we discussed focusing time and energy on those elements inside our sphere of influence. We now shift gears to the next topic:

Part 2: Mike Tyson on Planning, Planning, and More Planning

Mike Tyson is famously quoted as saying, "Everyone has a plan until they are punched in the mouth." While catchy and iconic, this doesn't do much more than highlight that Iron Mike had a direct approach to his plans: punch opponent in the mouth…hard.

 In saying that, I do like the quote as it highlights the act of planning as a skill. This is something that we speak about regularly inside the walls at 360, but one that also is a hallmark of the great teams at this year's Rugby World Cup in France.

Rugby Teams Make Plans?

Yes, of course.

While I agree, some of us may look like Neanderthals, the level of complexity in international rugby is high, and the people in charge of planning are extremely skilled.

Planning in international rugby requires teams to identify (among other things): the ideal state for their team, their style of play, the players who will compete, the roadmap to RWC qualification, their preparation, what pool success is to them, and then hopefully ideal scenarios for the knockout stages and to the ultimate pinnacle of hoisting the Webb Ellis trophy. The level of planning that goes into these 4, 8, and 12-year roadmaps is extraordinary.

As a smaller, less obvious example from this RWC, take Portugal, for instance. Having only qualified for one other version of the tournament, they faced setbacks in their 2023 qualification journey, initially losing to Spain but eventually securing a last-chance opportunity after Spain's disqualification for fielding ineligible players. Portugal overcame three teams in the next tournament to qualify as the 16th ranked team. They then went on to face their pool opponents and eventually earned 6 points by tying Georgia and beating Fiji. Their remarkable success was driven by visionary leadership at the outset and adaptability in the face of change. You can be assured that from 2019 to now, the Portuguese leadership team spent countless hours working on a plan and then re-jigging those plans in the face of so much change. Sure, we can argue that there was a huge stroke of luck at one point in the process, but it doesn't change the fact they had to adjust course at each stage and work the planning process hard along the way.

Of course, we make plans in business…duh.

Plans themselves are important as they provide a roadmap for success, but the point that is equally important is the ability to consistently build roadmaps for different routes. No different than the rugby team building muscle in the gym with consistent reps, by consistently planning, the brain becomes more adept at solving both the present moment and those moments you desire in a future state.

Developing Attributes

When we look at planning in this way, we can start to think about the attributes that planning as a skill can help us develop. As I describe some of them here, I would encourage you to see where you think they link to the above story of Portugal and where you are at with each of them in your business.

From a personal sharing perspective, I don't think we've mastered this skill in our business, but I also don't believe we ever will. That's okay. What we will do is continually practice the act of planning to help strengthen the attributes above. 

Revisiting Plans and Growing Businesses

As a closing point, and as a business leader yourself, you will assign planning frequencies that meet your business needs. My caution here (a learned experience) is that plans are often built and parked. The "set it and forget it mentality." Too often we make the mistake of ignoring these roadmaps in the face of other priorities. In a growing business, this is something that can be hugely detrimental. There's a really good insight from the CEO of Rakuten on the rule of 3 and 10. Effectively, he says everything "breaks" when you triple or have a multiple of 10 growth in people. What this necessitates is a continuous focus on planning and developing that skill and the additional attributes that it brings. (For a decent summary of the rule of 3 and 10, try this link: The Rule of 3 & 10 - by Patrick - Super Founders Club (substack.com))

Planning…to Finish

I'm done extolling the obvious virtues of planning. I hope I've made a connection between planning processes and seeking strategic results. Whether it's qualification for the Rugby World Cup or Market Domination, continue revisiting planning as a skill.

Your custodian of this blog space (until dropped),

Ryan

P.S. I'll take a break over the weekend and return next week to tie it all off.