Shooting for 3

Last week I was fortunate to be selected for my third 40 Under 40 Award.

To say I’m honoured and ecstatic at being the first person in the history of the award to be presented with 3 would be an understatement…but what did it really take to get there? What was the game plan? Who was the coach? And was it all you or did you have a great team?

The answers are relatively simple really…

• It took a lot of hard work. Anyone who has ever achieved anything in their life, big or small, will tell you the same. While the two things don’t always go together, it’s a pretty important part of the recipe.
• There’s always a plan. Sometimes it’s only in my head but there is always a plan. Things happen everyday though and in a world that changes as quickly as the one we live in, it’s critical to be adaptable and quick thinking.
• My greatest mentor has always been my father and I spend a good part of my life reflecting on the many lessons he has taught me in the past and the many more I look forward to learning in the future.
• Nobody gets anywhere in life without the help of others and if it weren’t for an incredible team, it would certainly not be possible to achieve much at all. Ideas are great, but if you aren’t surrounded by those that can execute those ideas, then they’re wasted.

By now, you’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with our topic of production…but stay with me…

There’s an incredible amount of similarities between business and sport. Just like any athlete, while it’s the final performance that everyone sees, all the really important ‘stuff’ happens behind the scenes.

For us, it’s most often a client’s project that is the final product. The production involved in making this happen is where all the time, energy and expertise is placed. Once it’s on show to the world, it all seems like it was easy, but the sweat and tears all happens in the ‘engine room’.

Preparation, thought, innovation and creativity is what fuels the team here at Jack in the box and you’ll often get a sneak peak of that through our Facebook posts when we’re working on something exciting. It gives you an insight into what happens in the ‘engine room’ and what goes into the production of the final product.

Having a team is so vital and while last week I was given the opportunity to shoot for my ‘3 pointer’, it was only the fact that I was surrounded by such a great team, an awesome portfolio of clients and a huge amount of ‘crowd’ support that enabled me to achieve that special moment.

It’s not ‘full time’ yet…the game continues and while we’ve all enjoyed the cut oranges, we’re back on the court and ready to go.