APPLYING TRAINING GAMES AND EXERCISES: AN INTERVIEW WITH GATEWAYS’ NIGEL BAILEY BY THE THIAGI GROUP AS REPORTED IN THE THIAGI GAMELETTER: OCTOBER 2009.

The workshop delegates’ eyes are starting to droop; the sweets are finished; the energy is flowing out the door and there are still 2 hours and 32 PowerPoint slides to go.  A facilitator’s nightmare!

Ever asked yourself the question – “why did this perfectly sound strategy fail?” Or, “we brainstormed the plan over and over and yet nothing happened to plan?” Most likely it wasn’t the strategy or the plan that was flawed, it was the ‘execution’. In today’s world, there are very few totally unique ideas or strategies, believe it or not. So you now ask – “how do I compete in my market, if it’s all been done before?” There is no easy solution (if there was the competive arena would be wiped out). Let me give you my insights – after 38 years in FMCG.

The power of the self image concept never ceases to amaze me in how it affects performance. Self image is the way we see ourselves – the way we describe ourselves in the myriad of roles we play in life. The way we see ourselves (i.e. self image) determines the way we behave and perform. It is our comfort zone in terms of which we will normally perform. For example, my self image of myself as a chess player is low – I’m not a good chess player – and I lose 90% of chess games. Do I have a problem with this? No – it is in terms of my self image. Will I do something to improve my chess playing skills? No – because I’m comfortable with my self image.

I am regularly asked to explain what I mean by "Functional Strategy", so I started writing an article which has turned into a book. While the book is getting ready for publication, I thought I should share the logic and the process of "Functional Strategy" in a series of blogs, hence...