This may seem a rather odd metaphor, but while watching the World rugby sevens tournament last weekend it struck me that the difference between a 7 or 15 a side team is a lot like the difference between small and big businesses. In a sevens team there are never enough people, they all have far too much to do and quickly become exhausted. By contrast, although the 15 a side game is still very demanding there's a little more time to organise and take an occasional breather and it's much easier to defend your position. And of course some teams get themselves thoroughly stuck in a rut.
Attack is better than defence
What's very noticeable about sevens games is that it's almost impossible to play a purely defensive game, teams have to take risks and while the best teams have a clear plan and strategy they're also very good at spotting an opportunity. I think there's a message there for smaller businesses - while it's tempting to cut costs and pull your horns in, few of us have the resources to do that for very long - and we certainly can't tread water for as long as larger businesses. All of which means our best strategy is to go out and attack the market, tell people what we're doing and create the opportunities we need rather than waiting for things to improve by themselves.
Attack is better than defence
What's very noticeable about sevens games is that it's almost impossible to play a purely defensive game, teams have to take risks and while the best teams have a clear plan and strategy they're also very good at spotting an opportunity. I think there's a message there for smaller businesses - while it's tempting to cut costs and pull your horns in, few of us have the resources to do that for very long - and we certainly can't tread water for as long as larger businesses. All of which means our best strategy is to go out and attack the market, tell people what we're doing and create the opportunities we need rather than waiting for things to improve by themselves.
Everyone Counts
Another feature of 7's vs 15's is that in 15's, at least at the lower levels of the game, it is possible for one or two players to under-perform without the results being catastrophic. In 7's though everyone has to perform to their absolute best all the time, otherwise the whole team will go down!
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