Achievement is more often than not rooted in collaboration

Being an rather patriotic Scotsman it is not so often that you will hear me eulogise about the England national football team. I played golf for my country in my late teens and came up against the English on many occasions, the competitive nature in the Auld Enemy rivalry still runs deep when my nation of birth comes face to face with the sporting foe from south of the border.

Yet I find myself compelled to congratulate the Lionesses as they became pioneers for their country and their sport. What shone through most was the togetherness, the fighting spirit to succeed but most of all the humility they displayed as they triumphed in their objective. Success comes with dedication to your trade, yet how you handle that success is rooted in your discipline to succeed in the first place. And how you help one another when in a team based environment. It was apparent that the manager of the team, Sarina Wiegman, had built a spirit in the squad that broke down any barriers. There were no club rivalries on show, as has been seen with the men’s team previously, rather an all for one and one for all mentality.

And so it is in business. I am yet to find a business that has reached great heights with a single person at the helm. Achievement is more often than not rooted in collaboration. It’s how companies grow, how they reach new levels and how they break down barriers, with teamwork at the core. England showed that in abundance throughout Euro 22 and the stitching of the team fibre was there for all to see.

None more so than the fact the players in the squad who had not played a single minute of any of the 6 games, still celebrated like they had scored the winning goal and exuded so much happiness for the players who had been playing the majority of the games. I did not see any jealousy or bitterness at all. The DNA was well constructed and this for me in the commercial world is the real substance of winning. They also displayed the importance of celebration. When we achieve what we set out to do professionally, we must celebrate for ourselves but equally for others if they have experienced achievement. and so it is with our shareholders at the Alliance Fund. My team of Fund Advisors are trained to celebrate when their shareholders succeed and so we build a collaborative community.

A team in business must bond, it must be woven together with a fighting spirit to be the best they can be for themselves, their colleagues and of course, their clients. Assuming a sound business model, the results will be positive.

I look forward to celebrating with you, our shareholders, our team, our community, for many years to come.

Iain Crawford