Help!
Have you ever been in a position when you thought ‘I’ve got this’, but then soon realised that you were out of your depth?
Never has there been a better example, than in the book ‘Run, Ride, Sink or Swim’. Which tells the story of Lucy Fry’s journey, to complete five triathlons and hundreds of training hours in one year.
Lucy uncovers the ins and outs of women’s triathlon, but it really tells a deeper story. One that goes beyond that of a particular sport, to a real connection of truly understanding your own capabilities and acknowledging when it’s time to ask for help.
Selecting a new ticketing system might be a million miles from training for a triathlon, however there’s more in common than you might imagine. From time and cost management, the importance of teamwork and self belief, to filling the all important knowledge gaps.
Back in my days at Chelsea FC, I remember launching into the ticketing procurement project with enthusiasm and gusto, but soon realised how big a hill I had to climb.
Even with the support of an IT department, it soon became clear that I really needed more knowledge of the market.
So, I set out the way that many of us do, with a trusty google search!
How hard could this be?
That’s what I thought at the time, but how wrong could I have been.
It’ll be no great surprise that this search was just the start of a project that turned out to be much more time consuming and involved than I could have imagined.
That was even before I started to collate other department’s requirements!
It could have been very easy to lose sight of the requirements when so many people are involved, so creating a clear set of objectives was key.
There are many things I would have done differently if I had that time again.
ReWork’s top 3 learnings are;
- Never be too afraid to admit if you’re out of your depth and ask for the help you need.
- Stay focused on where the business is heading and which supplier is best placed to get you there.
- Prioritise your requirements in phases – not everything is mandatory for day one!
I’m curious to know what your top 3 lessons have been?
