Importance of Playing Well With Others
Everyone knows that establishing good chemistry with the people you work with is critical to a company’s success. The same with having a great tactical motivator at the helm. But to truly be at the top of your game – businesses must also be skilled at developing relationships, outside of the office, that will bring value to all parties.
If a partnership is strictly transactional in nature, it will be unlikely that the relationship will be fully realized. It is only when relationships are transformational, where exchange is intended to create and realize long-term value for everyone, that all parties realize true synergy and mutual benefit.
ESPN knows how to play well with others and its current role as the leader in sports media is proof positive. In some ways, that might seem counter intuitive to the ESPN culture of testosterone charged, competitive sports fanatics. Originally viewed as an underdog in the industry and blocked at many turns by their few competitors, many would have expected ESPN to “man-up” and “fight to win at all costs.”
Instead, ESPN was forced, both by its circumstances and by its self-assigned goal to serve fans, to focus on the business of partnering well. Their attitude toward outside relationships has always been that if a program offering, deal, or financial arrangement doesn’t work well for all partners involved, it just won’t work at all.
From early arrangements with NCAA to the more recent NFL dealings that brought Monday Night Football to ESPN – which earlier this month just scored cable’s highest ever ratings – the network focused on long-term relationships that were mutually beneficial.
ESPN knew that many partnerships fail because not enough time, effort or thought is put into clarifying the goals and procedures up front. They also knew that every relationship takes work and that if you don’t continue to nurture and develop the partnerships after the deal is done, you’re likely doomed to failure.
ESPN has spent their past 30 years looking for every avenue and every option to serve sports fans better. As ESPN grew, so did their partners. NCAA sports have increased in popularity; major sports such as the NFL, MLB and NBA grew their fan base and weathered league-wide storms; and cable companies built their asset base and subscribers.
They supported competitors. They made deals that they knew would lead to other, more lucrative deals. They thought about the long-term, hammered out responsibilities in advance and never gave up on the goal of the game – quality programming, unparalleled access to sports and athletes and finding that winning pitch for every player on the field.
