Sport and Community: From London 2012 to Marathontalk

Today I MC’d a European Sponsorship Association session entitled ‘Beyond 2012’ which looked at the impact that London 2012 would have on the worlds of Olympic Sponsorship, grassroots legacy in the UK and the sponsorship industry a a whole.

The event was hosted at the British Olympic Association offices, and our Reception hosted in and around Olympic torches from Games past.

We were fortunate to have a host of fantastic speakers and panellists from the likes of British Olympic Association, Lloyds TSB, Deloitte, RFU and so on. The most unique session, however, was presented by Dr Martin Yelling and Tom Williams, co-presenters of the excellent running podcast Marathontalk.

The rationale behind Marathontalk (http://www.marathontalk.com/) is not dissimilar to that of parkrun which I mentioned in this blog a few months ago. The podcast creates a sense of community and support for all levels of runner looking to share their passion with others, support that is often lacking in listeners’ daily lives. It has grown dramatically since launch in January, aiming to create the sense that ‘Even if my husband, wife, parents or children don’t understand my running interest, there are thousands out there who will’. In this way, Martin and Tom hope to inspire others to learn and progress in their running. I was left with a sense that theirs is a legacy which will sustain when the Olympic flame has long departed our shores.

This need for ‘connectivity’ relates to a lecture I attended last night given by Baroness Sue Campbell at Bucks New University. Chair of UK Sport and Youth Sports Trust (and thus leading the school and high performance sport agenda in Britain) she talked about the critical need to connect schools with clubs at a local level in driving participation in sport – removing any remaining feeling that sport beyond 16 is only for the elite and encouraging coaches to bring genuine expertise into schools. In this way, they aim to create a bridge from school to club sport in order to create a route towards sport for young adults once the worlds of timetabled PE lessons are long left behind.

London won the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games with a promise to inspire young people to ‘choose sport’. 'Legacy', for me, means not just choosing it once, but being supported in choosing it for life. Concepts like Marathontalk and parkrun are the future for supporting grassroots sporting participation in this country. London 2012 will not ensure they continue to do so into adulthood, but together the Youth Sports Trust and Marathontalk just might.

Our New Coalition: Real Leadership and Motivation!

One week on, and the decisions are made. We have a coalition Government in Great Britain.

I am fascinated by the energy and motivation levels of our leaders, Messrs Cameron and Clegg, at the moment. I cannot easily imagine what it feels like to be flat out for six months on the closest election campaign for decades and then have to transition overnight into running the country for five years. There was not even the chance for a quick weekend away to recuperate. It reminds me of the M&A situations we have found ourselves in supporting clients at Lane4 whereby a deal is struck to acquire a business late at night after weeks of negotiation, and the 100 day integration plan kicks off the following morning!

Britain is certainly in need of strong leadership at the moment. Lane4's Co-Founder Professor Graham Jones recently recorded a podcast for the American Management Association where he talks about the distinction between real and safe leaders. He suggests that real business leaders are, among other things, those who are prepared to take the tough decisions for the good of their organisation; who thrive on pressure in doing so and who are highly visible in tough times. They make things happen. They are mentally tough, and their motivation is principally intrinsic rather than extrinsic. The podcast is available here if you would like to listen in.

http://podcast.amanet.org/edgewise/strategic-planning/193/dr-graham-jones-on-mental-toughness/

Real leadership feels a great synopsis of what we need in Great Britain in the months and years that follow. Time will tell!

Back to the lack of a weekend off for our political leaders. Actually we are conducting a study at Lane4 at the moment which looks at the current state of motivation in the workplace against the backdrop of a relentlessly challenging economy. While we might have not all fought an election or bought a business, the last eighteen months have certainly been a roller-coaster ride for all of us. You can take part by hitting the link below. All respondents will receive a free summary report once we have compiled them. Thanks in advance for taking the time!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Lane4motivationsurvey