I have no interest in football except that it got me thinking the other day – why do people go to football matches and what can it teach us about effectiveness? I realised the answer is a great example of why effective and efficient are not the same thing.
For many football matches there are two choices:
- Go to the match
- Watch the match at home on television.
Lets look at the alternatives in the same way that many businesses do when making commercial decisions.
First, cost. If I have already subscribed to Skye or whatever channel then that is a sunk cost. If I stay at home watching the match costs me nothing, I don’t have to pay to get there, I don’t have to pay for entrance or a season ticket and if I want something to eat then something from my own fridge is cheaper than a takeaway at the match. So on the basis of cost there is no contest. Watch at home wins on every count.
Effectiveness: If I watch at home I get a fantastic view of the play, replays of all the important events and expert commentary. If I go to the match I may have an obscured view and I am subject to the opinions of every armchair expert who is within earshot. If I turn to speak with someone I may miss an important pass or at very worse that vital goal. There we have it then, on the basis of efficiency, stay at home wins every time. No contest!
Productivity is another easy one. If I stay at home I don’t waste all that time travelling, I could even have a lie in. In between halves or whilst waiting for the action to start I can catch up on my emails or do the hoovering. Once again stay at home wins.
It is obvious to anyone with eyes to see that nobody in their right mind would go to see a match when they could watch it at home. Clearly there will be no demand for seats and no right thinking business person would ever build a stadium when it is obvious that nobody will go.
Therefore why is it that every week tens of thousands of people do something completely illogical and leave the warmth and comfort of their own homes and spend large amounts of money to go out and watch football?
The answer is very simple. The objective is not to watch football. It is to gather together with other people sharing the same interest, to get away from the house and the traumas of life for a few hours. The objective is escapism and the vehicle is football.
Watching at home may well be efficient and productive but it is not effective.
What is the real objective of your organisation, your customer or your client? For that matter what is your real objective?
Once you understand that then you and your organisation can be truly effective.
Have fun at the football or whatever!!!
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