As a leader, I’m always searching for real-life examples of how businesses develop and grow and the magic combination that contributes to success. But I certainly didn’t expect a sample to arrive at this kind of accidental moment when I watched an English Premier League football (EPL) match and found myself falling deeply in love with the Brentford Bees.
The EPL is one of the most prestigious sports leagues, with 20 clubs in rotation. You may have heard of Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City, but I hunch nobody reading it has ever heard of the Brentford Bees.
I hadn’t either…until I watched them score an objective against Arsenal on the opening week, and the announcer exclaimed, over a roar from the stands, that it was “their first top-flight goal in 74 years!” See the moment at 4:13 here.
A Fan Is Born
I was hooked. I believe anyone leading a company or a group can discover ways to give purpose, inspire colleagues and learn about performance from the Brentford Bees. Against most odds, this team can compete keenly against teams loaded with money and talent—and they’re winning.
I was curious about how they did it and what I could study from their approach to our business. The Brentford Bees drafted their particular version of the exact blueprint that every successful brand and business follows: Culture, plan, people and belief.
I’ll return to those ideas, but first, let’s cover the English Premier League (EPL) for those not in the know.
The High Stakes Of The EPL
It turns out that the EPL is just a very classist structure. At the top could be the Premiere League; below that’s Championship; then League One; then scullery cellars of League Two. All the teams in each league are ranked. Those at the end are relegated to the company below, while the top three sections of the lower companies get promoted up.
The stakes are enormous for a group to either stay or get relegated. Teams that stay get millions of dollars from the league. This implies the sections below have a level more challenging time moving up to the top of the rankings. With less money and opportunities to buy the utmost effective talent, the lower league teams seem year after year to be hopelessly outmatched.
Yet the Brentford Bees have, over the last several years, managed to persistently rise through the ranks. And finally, for the very first time since 1947, they’re competing at the best level. The odds and money stacked against them have only made their rise to success remarkable.
So how did they get it done? These Brentford Bees are doing what the best niche brands do to contend with Lululemon, Nike and other big brands with increased money and talent. They give attention to culture, plan, people and beliefs.
Culture, Plan, People and Belief: A Strategy In Action
What Brentford has dedicated to over the last several years is just a culture that understands itself and gets the patience to be a work in progress. It’s a culture that Thomas Frank, the coach, constantly reiterates as their four pillars: attitude, hard work, togetherness and belief.
In every interview, Frank will reiterate: “We are confident yet humble.” And when the players are interviewed after a match, do you know what they say? “Well, we’re staying confident yet humble.”
Every player says the same thing. They have embraced the culture.
Their plan has gone to recruit players in a “Moneyball” fashion by developing a culture that works together. When this year began, not a single player had ever played in the EPL, so it had been a fresh experience for all of them. Their plan was dedicated to the principle that it would not be a single superstar player responsible for carrying the team but that they, together, would carry themselves. The master plan was to be aggressive on the pitch, determined in defence, maintain best-in-the-league fitness and continue to trust each other. They stuck to the program, winning or losing each match.
If they looked for individuals to recruit, they earned players who made everyone else better. It’s a mentality of lifting everyone’s performance all at once as opposed to trying to create a single-player for stardom. One great example of the team’s dedication to selflessness is observed in player Christian Eriksen, who—after coping with a near-fatal cardiac arrest last year—has proven to lift everyone along with his selfless play. Each individual is more concerned with another player and the entire team than their particular accolades.
And finally, they believe they’ll win every match and belong in the rarified air of the EPL. Belief is one of the potent human emotions and motivations. Because the Bees rely upon the plan, the culture and themselves, it causes it to be better to manifest this belief inside their performances.
What I love about these Bees is that they’ve succeeded because of what they’ve built, not for their money or assortment of star players. With time, through their culture, plan, people and belief, they’ve poured a basis to create habits and years of quality performance.
From The Football Pitch To The Office
As a company development leader, I’m always looking for and study from examples where togetherness and purpose help organizations prevail. These factors always seem more deterministic of success than pricing, product or market conditions.
So: What are the pillars that define your company culture? Do your people have a team-first mentality? Are they aligned to a plan? Do they believe?
The humble and confident Bees are a group that’s relentlessly pushed themselves to succeed on probably the most competitive playing field in the world. At the time of publication, the Bees finished a powerful season and will return to the EPL next year.
