Unexpected success – backed up by the right support platform

‘Doing a Bradbury’ entered the Australian vernacular within hours of the seemingly out-of-the-blue gold medal result of Steven Bradbury in Short Track Speed Skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. We’ve come to interpret it as an unexpected or unusual success.

Similarly the success of the right support platform should be unsurprising. What should such a support platform look like? The characteristics of a successful support platform would include many years of industry experience, a proven track record, and tested approaches, all culminating in a win-win outcome.

Success is about positioning yourself
Frequently; and the emphasis is important here; a Trivia Night would have focussed on the question of who won Australia’s first ‘gold’ medal at a Winter Olympics. Instead, it should ask who won Australia’s ‘first’ medal at a Winter Olympics? And the answer off course, Steven Bradbury 1994 at Lillehammer winning Bronze as part of the 5000m Relay Team. In fact, Bradbury was a three time Winter Olympian, competing in 1994, 1998 and then in 2002. In addition, he’d been a World Champion, as part of a Relay Team back in 1991; that’s 11-years of experience and success before reaching the pinnacle of his sport.

USA Today quipped: “The first winter gold medal in the history of Australia fell out of the sky like a bagged goose. He looked like the tortoise behind four hares”, while the Boston Globe added that “multiple crashes that allow the wrong person to win are part of the deal”.

So where does a support platform come in?
Bradbury’s pathway to ultimate success raises a few points worth considering. At a time when none of the other competitors were able to remain on their feet, a true champion not only stayed upright, but achieved a positive outcome after more than a decade of proven success. In the same way, a successful support platform is the product of patience, perseverance, process and focus.

And therein lies the warning. Complacency caused the other competitors to think they had it in the bag. Agility allowed Bradbury to navigate through the fast changing circumstances.

Where can you access a support platform that is going to allow you respond to the ever evolving and fast paced industry that you work in?