England’s World Cup campaign came to an end last night.
Not because they weren’t good enough to beat Argentina but because they spent too much of the game playing not to lose instead of playing to win.
It happens in football all the time. Teams become so frightened of making the mistake that costs them the match that they stop taking the risks that might actually win it. The safe pass becomes the default. Possession becomes the objective.
Before long, ninety minutes have passed and everyone is wondering why so little happened.
Watching it unfold, I couldn’t help thinking how often I see exactly the same thing in business.
Not on a football pitch, but in marketing, PR and especially with AWARDS.
Every week I hear business owners talking themselves out of opportunities before anyone else has had the chance to judge them.
“We’re probably too small.” “There are businesses much better than us.” “Let’s wait until next year.” “We need to grow a bit more first.”
It’s the business equivalent of playing the sideways pass. Safe. Comfortable. Unlikely to go horribly wrong. It’s also unlikely to change anything.
The businesses that become recognised don’t necessarily have the best products.
The experts who get quoted in the media aren’t always the most knowledgeable.
The companies collecting trophies at awards dinners aren’t always the biggest or most successful.
More often than not, they’re simply the ones prepared to put themselves forward.
They tell their story. They back themselves. They take the shot.
Do they win every time? Of course not.
But neither does every striker who shoots from twenty-five yards. The difference is they’ve given themselves a chance.
That's one of the reasons I've created Winfluential™
Over the years I’ve helped businesses identify the right awards, write stronger entries and crucially, make the most of the recognition afterwards.
The biggest obstacle has rarely been the judges. It’s been the business owner deciding they weren’t worthy before the judges had even opened the envelope.
That’s not YOUR job.
Your job is to tell your story as convincingly as you can and let somebody else decide.
You have probably achieved far more than you realise.
The question is whether you’re giving yourself the opportunity to be recognised for it.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your business is genuinely capable of winning an award, I’ve created a free three-minute Winfluential Assessment to help you find out.
It won’t tell you whether you’ll definitely win. Nobody can do that.
What it will do is show you how award-ready your business really is, highlight the strengths judges are likely to value and identify the areas that could improve your chances.
You might discover you’re much closer than you think.
Because here’s the thing… You don’t become an award-winning business by playing it safe. You become one by putting yourself forward and taking a pop at goal.
GS