
How do high-performance sports differ from the business world?
In sports, there is a clear goal in mind: score one more goal, run a second faster, move up one position. There are defined tournament days and a trophy or medal that everyone works towards.
Who is everyone?
The top athletes themselves, but also entire teams in the background, such as coaching staff, physiotherapists, groundsmen, and then also friends, family and of course the fans, media and general public. Everyone knows what it's all about. And when it's happening!
And in business? There is something like a fiscal year. But do the figures come in? And are they announced? Imagine a basketball game where the team and the fans only find out the score three days later. Or maybe never really. So demotivating, isn't it?
And anyway, do people really perform at their best for financial turnover? Let's take a look at sports clubs: Do people cheer at general meetings of sports corporations or in the stadium. Probably the latter.
Brand as gamechanger – especially for global companies
Uniting people behind the same goal and motivating them to work toward it together is a major challenge, especially for globally operating companies.
Brand can make all of this possible. However, this only works if brand managers set clear goals, inform others about these goals, track success and: Celebrate successes together! And not just once a year, but regularly after milestones have been reached. Short-term milestones as well as a big goal each year are needed.
· We want to reach number 1 compared to competition.
· We want to conquer market XY with a product.
· We want to increase our brand awareness to 80%.
· We want to increase customer satisfaction by 10%.
· We want to be honored as an employer of choice.
· We want to increase the number of employees by 10% by end of the year.
· We want to increase our reach by 20%.
· We want to open locations in three new countries in three years.
· We want to launch 75 activities globally to mark our 75th anniversary.
· ... and so on, and so on...
Selecting and articulating appropriate brand goals and then communicating them in a motivating way with a unifying narrative is an art.
Brand goals must strike a chord and,
· be clearly understandable,
· have a high relevance,
· and motivate everyone in the company to stand up for them.
The greatest art, however, may lie in just tackling it and realizing: People need motivating goals in order to have focus, perform at their best and think beyond their limits.

Because that is exactly what high-performance sport has over business. Everyone runs and works towards the same goal. Everyone gives their all. And everyone knows which "score" and which "ranking" they have to look at.
United in the brand goal. What would be possible in business then?
If everyone were to give their all.
If everyone had their focus on the same goal.
And if everyone celebrated success together.
Have any thoughts or questions about it? Write to me or comment!
Picture credits
Graphic realisation by C. Claudine from the Dragon Rouge Hamburg creative team