It was interesting to hear David Cameron yesterday declaring the Government’s new commitment to tourism, in the light of the opportunities and challenges facing us as we progress towards 2012. Of course this is not surprising to hear as regards London 2012. Tourism South East expects that an additional £1bn or so of tourist money will be spent on the back of the Games.
While political capital will exist in the subject for months and even years to come, the truth is that much of the planning and decision making at a macro level has been completed long ago. This is just one good example of the kind of effort that is needed years in advance of generating any concrete return from the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the Beijing Olympics, Tourism South East, SEEDA and other regional partners met with hundreds of tour operators, journalists and representatives from National Olympic Committees to pre-promote the region in advance of London 2012 and secure significant up-front reservations. Those organisations' plans are mostly now set in stone.
All is not completely lost, Mr Cameron. We might well still have the opportunity to change the perceptions of individual tourists as regards attending London, but the ease with which they will find flights, hotels, tickets and so on was decided long ago. Having been to Beijing and talked to many people there, much of this seems to involve persuading those Cameron might think of as floating voters to press 'Purchase' on those flight tickets.
I was a floating voter myself as Beijing drew near. From my perspective, the important message was 'Yes, there will be legitimate tickets available...and yes, your hotel will be ok for your family.' I didn't want pictures of the Great Wall and smiling Chinese cab drivers, I wanted facts.
I suspect we will hear an increasing number of big picture announcements made to large fanfares in the next few months - investment in athlete training programme X; commitments to grass roots sport Y; Inner City regeneration programme Z and the like. The truth is that most of these announcements are being made principally for political and corporate marketing ends.
Most of the big Olympic decisions were made years ago, it is just that only now are they becoming of interest. Baton down the hatches, here comes 2 years of media circus!
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
There are far more qualified people than me to write about the General Election. I did, however, want to mark one change. With a change in Government comes a change in Olympics Minister - and the end of the road for Tessa Jowell. I spoke at a CBI Event on London 2012 after Tessa Jowell a couple of years ago, and was extremely impressed by her genuine passion for what the Games could do for our country. She was clearly speaking from the heart.
Appointed Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport after the 2001 election, Jowell played a significant role in the Government position with regards to the bid for London 2012. If Tony Blair was central to the victory in Singapore, Jowell was certainly central to getting him there in person. She retained her Olympics portfolio after Gordon Brown’s post succession reshuffle, and retained this responsibility until the 2010 Election. I feel for Jowell now - she has moved things so far, and yet now faces the likelihood of seeing Hugh Robertson or similar take the glory.
We already have an interesting model in what the transition to Conservative Olympic Games leadership will look like in the change. We watched as from Ken Livingstone (another victim of the changing political tides) gave way to Boris Johnson's London Mayorship. Initial complaints about mismanaged budgets and inefficient management have already all but seeped away as Boris recognises he will be better set portraying himself as the White Knight of the Games rather than bickering and haggling all the way to 2012.
I feel sorry for both Tessa and Ken, as I do any business leader or even football manager who is asked to leave before his or her work is truly complete. In complex working environments there is often major value in continuity. While Hugh and Boris will grab the glory, the learning curve will be steep.
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