Cheating the basics

Sports metaphors in management are over used but one I like is the concept of cheating the basics.  In soccer the art of defending relies on some basic principles.  Never stand too close to the player you are defending else they might turn you; don't stand too far away else you allow them to be a passing option and you give them enough time to control the ball if passed to.  And the most important rule is to always stay goal-side of the player i.e. you must be closer to your goal than they are.  These are the basics of defending and good players will execute the basics consistently, poor players will not.  But that is not enough if you want to be a great player.  To be a great player you need to be able cheat on the basics e.g. stand so close to the player you can get a foot to the ball when it arrives, or far enough away that you lull the player in to a false sense of security and you move in with speed at the critical moment, or stand beside and not behind the player so you can step forward and steel the ball. 
But then what is the difference between a great player and a poor player when neither seem to follow the basics?  The answer is success.  The player that cheats on the basics but gets caught out and exposed is a poor player.  The player who consistently cheats the basics but takes the ball away is a great player.  So in summary the key is to know when to cheat the basics and when not, and more importantly to be successful when you do.

Roy Keane was one of the greatest exponents of 

tackling in modern day soccer

So what does that have to do with management.  Well, in many ways management is the same. We talk all the time about sound management practices, having a mission and a vision, clear HR policies, individual goals and objectives, strong financial discipline.  And these are all important if you want to run a good company.  But to become a great company you need to find ways to change the status quo, or cheat these basics.  Companies like Google did not become great by following convention, they broke it every step of the way.  But if you look closer you will see they still had the basics in place but they knew when to cheat them.  It is essential for companies and managers to learn basic management principles, because only then can you learn when and how to cheat them.  Great players start by learning the basics first.  And so must great companies and great managers.