Cheer-Leadership or 'All I need to know about business I learned from Cheerleading'

Thanks to teen movies, many people have this stereotypical idea of cheerleaders as being ditzy and mean. However, there are a great many life-lessons that can be learned during your time on the team that have surprising application in the business world.

1. Getting to the top of the pyramid means taking a few risks.

The person at the top of the pyramid is the one who is willing to take the risks, usually in the form of a backflip or a layout. It helps to be light, nimble, and flexible. Since you are the person with the farthest to fall, you have to be able to rely on the stability of the team suporting you.

Fortunately, in business no one actually tosses you ten feet into the air and expects you land on your feet.

Well, almost never.

2. Step lightly on your way to the top.

You can't simply manipulate and coerce your way to the top of the pyramid. Well, you can, but then when it comes time to perform a trust fall, you may have a slight problem.

This corollary of point number one seems to have escaped quite a few people. Some seem to think that "underlings" are meant to be stepped on, climbed over, and not-so-subtly kicked on the way up. It's one thing to accidentally land on someone's foot, but some people leave a trail of crushed clavicles and contusions. These are the same people who discover that when they are in trouble, no one will return their calls.

Make sure you know the difference between who is "underneath you" and who is "holding you up" - it's a big one.

3. Keep cheering loudly, even you are winning.

This is a marketing lesson if ever there was one. So you've landed the big client. Maybe you've landed several. Don't stop marketing your company and looking for new clients just because you are currently busy. Projects end, businesses change, decision-makers come and go - make sure you've got new clients lined up. It's the only way to keep your company growing, your cash flowing, and V-I-C-T- oh nevermind.

4. Having the lead at halftime doesn't mean you can slack for the last half of the game.

So you were first to market with your product, or maybe you built a better mousetrap.

Right now there is someone out there thinking about how they can capture your market share with a bigger, better, faster version.

Besides, in business the game doesn't actually end - you might be winning at a given moment, but you never can say you've "won."

(I know: that was a stretch for cheerleading. But cheerleaders need to stretch.)

5. As mom used to say, "if you are going to do a backflip in a miniskirt, you'd better be wearing your best underneath."

Actually, when mom said it, I think there was a bus involved somehow, but close enough.

Don't call attention to practices that you don't actually want scrutinized. Better still, don't get involved in practices that can't stand up to scrutiny. Sooner or later someone is going to examine what's behind the hype.

Sometimes it's vapourware, and sometimes its fraud. Sometimes it's just a matter of making an announcement of your latest greatest product so far in advance of it actually coming to market that the buzz comes and goes without paying off in terms of sales.

Whatever the cause, get your house in order before throwing the doors open. Sooner or later, someone is going to ask the right question.

For more details, see: Hollinger, Enron, or Worldcom. Of course, it's best not to get mental images of Bernard Ebbers wearing a miniskirt.

Leadership McPherson seeking applications (McPherson Sentinel)
The Leadership Board of Trustees will be taking enrollment for the 2007 Leadership McPherson program until Aug. 17. Enrollment forms can be obtained on the McPherson Chamber of Commerce web site at mcphersonchamber.org, or by stopping by the Chamber office at 306 N. Main.

Noxubee County looking for citizens for Leadership training program (The Commercial Dispatch)
The Noxubee County Chamber of Commerce will convene the first class of Leadership Noxubee this fall. Leadership Noxubee is a leadership development program for people who are committed to working with others to meet challenges facing the county.

Leadership Pensacola picks next class (Pensacola News Journal)
Leadership Pensacola (LeaP) recently selected 50 professionals from diverse business backgrounds for the Leadership Pensacola Class of 2008.

O2 appoints Ann Pickering as new head of Human Resources (Online Recruitment)
26/07/2007 O2 UK today announces that Ann Pickering has been appointed Head of Human Resources and will report into Matthew Key, Chief Executive of O2 UK. Ann previously held the position as General Manager of Human Resources for the Customer Service & Retail division within O2 UK.

© 2005 Gisela McKay

Gisela McKay is Chief Technology Officer of pixcode Inc. - www.pixcode.com

Gisela envisions new applications for technology, and then makes sure they become reality. It seems to surprise people to discover it, but yes, she really was a cheerleader.