Trump’s victory: 5 lessons for sport
So what does Donald J Trump have in common with sport you might ask? On the surface not much. But, here is some food for thought:
- Entrepreneurship vs. Institutionalism
For many years’ sport has been governed by institutions that are in place to protect and develop amateur and professional sport. Like politics, some have become slower, bureaucratic and complacent. The Trump campaign demonstrated a more entrepreneurial approach could overcome institutional opposition by being innovative, agile and challenging the established hierarchy.
- Leadership, Marketing and Narrative
Despite having less resources than the Clinton campaign, the Trump team were smarter in their marketing and communication with the electorate. Trump’s leadership style was very direct but his emotional, intuitive tactics and challenging narrative won more hearts and minds at the ballot box. Sporting leaders with charisma should engage emotionally with stakeholders and develop a two-way dialogue. The alternative is to be neutral or detached and run the risk of being perceived as fake.
- Build a brand and slogan
Trump built his brand on TV with ‘The Apprentice’ over an 11-year period. He is a big star in America and exploited his celebrity status to maximum effect. The Trump campaign gelled behind the slogan ‘Make America Great Again’. It was not great as far as slogans go but Hillary had nothing better to offer. Fans are like voters, they want someone who speaks their language and offers a brand or vision they can believe in. How many sporting slogans can you recall that still resonate and inspire the fans? YNWA, Just do it or Get Inspired?
- Connect with your core customers
Millennials are the holy grail for marketers, the most desirable target group for politicians, brands and sport organizations. Trump was never going to win the election by targeting this group. Instead he concentrated on another key segment who were equally influential and perhaps economically more aligned to his proposition – the ‘grey market’ and older age groups. In sport it is important to engage the millennial generation but we should not forget there are other groups that can be of great value to long term growth and sustainability of a team, club and organisation.
- Winning the battle vs. Being the best
Logic suggests if you are the best you win. But in trying to be the best you can take your eye off the task in hand; winning the battle. Neither Clinton nor Trump ran a great campaign; both made mistakes but in her desire to be seen as the ‘best candidate’ Clinton blew her chances and Trump gained momentum. As in politics and sport, being effective and getting the job done is worth more to the majority of people than trying to be seen as the best and failing spectacularly.
Like him or loathe him we can study his tactics, debate and learn. Sport like politics is unpredictable and one victory does not reflect a great leader or athlete. Only at the end of a career can we truly compare and measure success. Millions of people will be watching to see if Trump can go the extra miles and deliver the promised land his fans and followers are now expecting. It is the same daily challenge facing sporting leaders in our schools, teams, clubs, leagues, federations, governing bodies and institutions all over the world…….the delicate balance between victory and success.