Every time I turn on the TV there seems to be another football match dominating the channels. World Cup fever is back with a vengeance and sales of those irritating Vuvuzela trumpets are at an all time high. The eyes of the nation are firmly on the England team and we are all analysing the team strategy and tactics whilst dreaming of a return to the glories of 1966.

Whatever Fabio Capello’s secret game plan might be it’s started me thinking about my own ‘game plan’. In other words what is my strategy for ‘winning’ the next few business challenges. Who am I competing against? And what are my tactics to ensure success? After some soul searching I think I’ve got everything ready for kick off and I can almost feel my fans cheering.

But what about you?

Be honest now. What is your game plan? It’s now June and the half time whistle for 2010 has already been blown. So what is your strategy for the second half? Are you losing already or is victory now in sight? In other words – is your game plan on track or have you lost sight of your goals?

If your opponents are winning then you might already be analysing the reasons. Is it down to a loss of direction or is it something to do with bad management? Are you floundering in defence or losing the ball somewhere midfield? Are you taking every opportunity to go for goal or are you spending so much time passing the ball from A to B that you never find a moment to strike?

Okay – that’s enough of the euphemisms. The point is this. In many ways running a business is just like running a football team. It’s all about strategy, tactics, focus and delivery. If you have a good business plan then the goals you have set yourself for 2010 should already be in sight.

If you are on track to win then congratulations! If you are off-target then maybe it’s time to revisit your game plan and make some tactical changes. Maybe it’s time to reflect on your performance to date, think about where you are going astray, then re-group and move forward. Maybe it’s time to -

• Go over your service offerings
• Clean out, mothball, re-invent
• Check what your competitors are doing
• Ensure you’re promoting the right messages
• Respond to and welcome change

Only you will know whether your game plan is the right one and whether it is working or not. Maybe I can help by offering some half time advice?

Just don’t ask me to step up to the penalty spot…