The difference between good and great

Brent Ogilvie

December 17, 2013

As I help build the capability that will take Footfalls & Heartbeats forward, I’ve been reflecting on what makes a team great.

Of the 20-odd rugby teams that I played in, two were great teams. Both had good coaches and good captains, and while that’s important, it wasn’t what made them stand out from the rest.

The most memorable was a small town team that had never won its regional championship. Harry, the coach of 15 years had been diagnosed with cancer and it was to be his last season. Against all odds, we won against a better team of players in the last minute of the final. We got a huge welcome home including an unforgettable haka as we went into the clubroom. As it turns out, two decades on Harry is still ticking.

What it taught me is that success comes from having a committed group of people with a shared and meaningful mission and a lot of support behind them – and that’s what we’re aiming for with Footfalls.

We’ve got an experienced Board of Directors and a high-calibre Scientific Advisory Board – people with a real passion for what we’re doing. We’ll be looking for the same drive and determination as we hire product and business development staff to take the company global – please refer to our current opportunities. Part of Footfalls mission is to blaze a trail for taking science from NZ to the world, which is a mission shared across our portfolio companies.