As Euro Soccer Championship fever continues the climb, it’s amazing to see the incredible commitment fans have to their teams. Even more remarkable is the massive amounts of money soccer organizations invest in their teams. In many cases, hundreds of millions of dollars are invested to recruit the best players from around the world. With such a committed fan base, organizations are seeing exponential returns on their investments. In order to win, soccer organizations recognize that they need the best talent, management and coaching in place. Professional services organizations can learn a lot from the soccer world. The ability to focus on winning (as opposed to just subsisting or surviving) can push services firms from trailing the pack to leading the pack in their respective markets.
So, what are some of the key qualities both sports teams and professional services firms share to be winning organizations? It all starts with organizations taking a deep look at what has driven and what will drive their success. With that being said, here are some key differentiators that make up winning teams:
- Strong Culture – Both successful sports teams and professional services firms that build strong winning cultures that are team-centric with unified goals, result in winning. A strong culture does not only strengthen the team internally, but also delivers a strong message to the market which will result in instilling confidence in potential and existing customers.
- Smart Leadership – In both the sports and services worlds, a smart leadership in place will ensure that the right talent is focusing on the most fruitful activities. Whether you’re a manager behind the scenes or a player on the front-lines, an effective coach (i.e. leader) will know how to best guide the team when there are bumps in the road and when to build momentum.
- Superior Talent – It’s no secret that a winning team is made up of individuals that are the best at what they do. Again, true to both sports teams and services firms, the ability to win is primarily dependent on the people that make up the organization. Attracting the best talent is key in delivering the highest quality “service/product” to the end customer.
- Strategic Investment – As the saying goes, “money makes money.” In the sports world this means, investing in the right players, coaching and management. In services organizations, here to, a significant investment in the right people, processes and technology (such as Professional Services Automation solutions) will mean the difference between winning and losing business.
In a recent study, the Professional Services Automation (PSA) market size is projected to reach $12.88 Billion by 2022. This incredible growth is a clear indicator that services firms see PSA as part of their winning strategy. In fact this will ring true with any leading organization (whether sports or services) – a winning strategy heavily relies in smart investments that support their position at the top.
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About the Author: Neil Stolovitsky has over 15 years of IT experience with end-user, consulting, and vendor organizations, along with extensive expertise in business development, software selection, and channel strategies. He has published numerous white papers and articles covering Professional Services Automation, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for service industries, Project Portfolio Management, IT Governance, and New Product Development to a global audience. Neil currently holds the position of Senior Solution Consultant with Upland Software.
To learn more about Upland Software’s Enterprise PSA offering PSA go to: uplandsoftware.com/psa