Valuing Competition

Ted Smithies is the Club Captain of Newport Beach Surf Club. Ted is also a masters competitor in beach sprint and beach relay. He is the current World Champion (Lorne, Australia 2006) and Australian Champion (Kurrawa, Queensland 2005). Overall he has won four World masters titles and seven Australian masters titles.

Value Network applies this sporting commitment and determination to delivering outstanding results for clients. Value Network understands what it takes to win. Whether it is in business or sport, what is required is: the right attitude, the right strategy, the right implementation, and the right focus.

Attitude

• See it - Self-belief and self-image are threshold issues for success. You will not achieve your goals if you can't see them and have the vision. The challenge for any organisation is to be able to stand in the future and create a vision of what the best in class business will look like
• Reality check - Measure your performance and your progress because you need to keep the vision grounded in how far you have come
• No excuses - Excuses are blame shifting for things you could have done better. When you win you don't need an excuse

Strategy

• Benchmark - Find the best and learn from them.
• Understand the competition - Some call it market research, but it is really just finding out what the gap is between where you are now and where you want to be
• Prepare the plan - Set out a plan and performance indicators. Your plan needs to allow for things that will go wrong and how you will manage them. The better prepared you are the more confidence you can have in your performance

Implementation

• Continuous improvement - This is about continuously reviewing your goals so that when one goal is achieved, a new one is set and you keep improving. In setting goals you need to remember there is always a trade off between a goal that is beyond reach and one that will not stretch performance
• Application - Commitment to the goals is critical because without that commitment, you will never be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented to you

Focus

• Look forward - Don't be hamstrung by past performance. It is the work you are getting ready that will determine your future performance
• Go for it - There will be a time when you have done all you can do to prepare. The difference between those who succeed and those who don't is often as simple as who is prepared to 'go for it'.