I am a huge Aaron Sorkin fan so news that Moneyball was a sports movie with a hint of Aaron Sorkin was of natural interest  to me.

loved the one line quips in the movie, very sorkin-esque, however the plot behind the movie, which is a true story is that of a general manager trying to run his franchise in a very particular way, not in the conventional manner, not in the way all the other franchises and all the other coaches are used to it running.

Sounds great doesn’t it, the problem is that not everyone is in tune with the song he’s trying to sing. His coach doesn’t believe in the players he’s signed to play in the position he wants them to play in and so the coach plays a team separate to what the general manager wants him to do.

In the movie, there’s a line ‘the first one through a brick wall always gets Bloody’. Trying to make changes are hard, but when doing so everyone needs to be on board, one of the hurdles was the coach and the general manager had completely different opinions on who was to play where, so in the end what did the general manager do, removed the hurdle. He traded the players the coach wanted to play and so he had to play the players the GM wanted. After talking to the players and explaining what he wanted to achieve they ALL had to play in a very particular way for them to succeed, they couldn’t play in the traditional manner and hope to compete, each member of the team had to their bit in order to succeed.

What was the result, They went on a 20 game winning streak. The biggest winning streak in the history of baseball in the US

As the movie states he didn’t win the last game of the season but what the GM did was change the way the game was played, the only way he could do that is get everyone on board and removed any hurdles in his way.

I urge you to watch moneyball, I thoroughly enjoyed, my favourite line in the movie was ”when your enemies are making mistakes, don’t interrupt them’ but I learnt that if you want to make a fundamental change and your belief is absolute then remove the hurdles and don’t let them stand in the way. Remember it could have all gone tragically wrong, he could have lost every game in the season, He was being laughed at by the seasoned and retired pros, he could have been ridiculed and lost his job, but because his belief was absolute, he changed the professional game.

regs

Ollie

When I visited Ollie and Darsh I noticed that due to the decor and surroundings it looked more like a 5* hotel as opposed to a dentist! The receptionist was very welcoming and offered me a drink, and Suzy made me feel at ease with treatment options and the financial side. The payments were flexible so thankfully I never worried and Suzy was always available if I needed to speak to her at any time either by email or telephone ‘nothing was too much trouble’.

Darsh needed to make sure that my teeth were healthy before invisalign…therefore I had x-rays, oral hygiene and an examination for cancer. I also had two implants fitted as my previous fillings had left me with cavities. I wasn’t nervous about the ‘drilling’ etc as most of my treatment was carried out with headphones on whilst I watched films! After a few months I was able to commence my invisalign treatment. And now after 9 months my teeth are perfectly straight I couldn’t be happier.

I now smile with my mouth open! And my confidence has improved greatly! I wish I’d done it sooner! I can’t thank the whole team at Ollie and Darsh enough for giving me the smile I had always wished for, by far the best private dentist in Liverpool!

One looks for inspiration from afar and yet the very figure of it, can be very close.

I recently completed reading Steve Job’s Biography by Walter Isaacson, in my opinion quite an exceptional read, what that man achieved in his lifetime was quite inspirational, i was very intrigued to find how much Bob Dylan inspired the man. I  wanted to read it to understand what makes a man like that tick, what inspired him and so steal a little of it and look to inspire me.

Lest, the realisation came that when looking for inspiration, one should look closer to home, much closer to home. It was 7 days ago, when Suzy was given her MBA by the University of Liverpool results where she passed with flying colours and only missing by a few marks of a distinction. To say we were proud is quite an understatement.

One has to sit down and comprehend this achievement, in the midst of setting up a new business in a recession and completing a 3 year part ime MBA in 2 years, you can not be anything other than impressed with the dedication and application to both the business and also in her study. Come December we will all be celebrating her graduation

We’re extremely proud of what Suzy has achieved and continues to do so, her selfless application continues to serve as an inspiration, not only to myself but to all.

Great companies are built from the very foundations of inherently great people, at Ollie & Darsh, knowing that Suzy is at the Helm, the foundations will remain forever fortified. Sir Christopher Wren, has written on his Epitaph at St. Pauls Cathedral in London ‘If you seek a monument look around you’. If you seek to look at what Suzy has help to build, pop into 11 Dale Street, and look for the Orange signage….

Regs

Daz