BLOG: Here’s the surprising link between sport and selling homes

At any level of sport there is often too much focus on whether you’re recruiting attackers or defenders. But I’ve always had the attitude that defence wins games – no matter how good you are in offense.

To win you need to have strong defence. You don’t need lots of sporting talent to play defence well in our sport either, it’s all in your mental attitude. You need to want it.

PARALLELS

There are parallels with business. Offense is the fun bit in business, going on corporate golf days, networking events or launching new services. Whereas defence is the hard work – being consistent with your finance, emails and business strategy.

Winning new business isn’t going to be worth much if you aren’t on top of what you’ve already built. Winning in sport and business means having the right team of people around you.

What is sometimes overlooked though is how much personality matters. We invest a lot of time and energy into making sure we recruit the right personalities for the Eagles.

The difference between a professional and amateur sportsman is not always how technically gifted they are but their mentality.

We have developed a glass half full culture at the Eagles – an ethos that our Head Coach Mark Steutel, also the Head Coach for the British Men’s Basketball team, lives and breathes. I also think this is key for any successful business as culture is everything.

We look for people who are in it for the long-game, positive people who want to ‘play for the badge’ and want to make Newcastle their home.

WINNING MENTALITY

We are the best supported club in the league and we want our players to fall in love with the city as well as the sport – this all plays into a winning mentality.

If you have someone in your team who isn’t engaged with the wider vision and instead see their role as a stepping stone you don’t get the player trying to win a trophy, you get an individual looking after their own stats.

Creating a strong culture within your business will give your team the motivation they need to work together.

In my playing days my vision for success started with getting on the court in the first place, by being chosen to play the game in a tournament, then the majority of games in the season. It was a process and I had to work hard at each step.

I never got to where I wanted to be in basketball but back then there wasn’t as clear a pathway as there is today.

OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD

My love for the sport never faltered though, and I didn’t let this blip in my vision get me down. I adapted and moved over to the business side of the sport, shifting my vision and realising the opportunities ahead.

Newcastle Eagles encompasses multiple businesses – the club, the foundation and the arena we play in.

Even though I am passionately invested in club games I am also involved in the day to day running of all three businesses.

If we lose a game at the weekend – even though I really struggle to get over losing games – I must find a positive mindset to approach the tasks that need doing for the other businesses on Monday morning.

Remaining positive is a key pillar to winning and staying on the path to achieving your vision. The same applies in business, especially an industry like property where things can change quickly. There are always wins to be found and although it’s important to look at how we can improve, it’s not productive to dwell on the negatives.

As long as the changes you make have a purpose, you’re on the right path.

Paul Blake is owner of basketball team, Newcastle Eagles. Read more in the latest issue of Iamproperty’s Tech of a Life