It may sound weird if you haven’t seen Harry Potter: “What on Earth is that word?” It may also sound weird for those of you who have seen it but are thinking “What does Quidditch have to do with my business?!

But it makes sense. Let me explain it.

Quidditch is a fictional sport in the Harry Potter books and movies. Played by two 7-player teams in an oval-shaped court with three rings on each side, it works like other ball games such as football or handball. Quidditch, however, has three different kinds of balls (one Quaffle, two Bludgers and one Golden Snitch) each with their own purpose. Specifically:

• The Quaffles score 10 points every time they pass through one of the rings.
• The heavy Bludgers which knock the other team’s players from their brooms. Yes, I forgot to tell you that Quidditch is played upon flying brooms. Don’t you love this game?
• The last ball, the Golden Snitch, is a small fast ball that constantly evades being caught. The team who catches it scores 150 points and the game ends at that point, with dramatically increased odds for the team catching to win the match.

Therefore, each team divides their seven players into four different positions:

• Three chasers, whose purpose is to score Quaffles;
• Two beaters who deffend their team mates from Bludgers;
• One seeker to seek and catch the Golden Snitch; and
• One keeper to defend the rings from the Quaffles.

A while back one of my best clients explained that they were specifically focused on a particular kind of client and project. He told me about his Golden Snitch and although I found it brilliant, I felt it was incomplete. Their results weren’t climbing as he expected with the specialisation strategy he had put in place, and it was really difficult to keep his team focused on only one kind of client while others continue knocking at the door and with risks constantly emerging.

That’s when I came up with Quidditch. “It’s not only about catching Golden Snitches, you know?” I told him.

He needed to start playing Quidditch.

In business, I told him, you also have three balls,that define primary and secondary objectives:

• Quaffles that are the daily clients and the tasks that need to be complete to keep the business running;
• risks that, like Bludgers, regularly “attack” our business; and
• Golden Snitches, those clients, projects and tasks that are a priority in your business and in your life.

So, with this in mind, we need to divide up our team in order to keep them zeroed in on their roles and what’s relevant and valuable for the company’s future:

• Chasers, who manage the day-to-day business and clients. Working on the company’s present results, keeping scoring points with the Quaffles.
• Beaters, who avoid and fight risks. They are needed to keep the company safe.
• Seekers, who focus specifically on the ideal clients and projects. Building the company’s future.
• And, finally, a Keeper, who, from the rings, can see the whole field, who leads and manages the company, putting it all together. That's you.

So, now you are here. Reading to this article and thinking: what should I do next if I want to build my Quidditch team?

1. First, identify your own Golden Snitch, focus on your future and your priorities.
2. Second, pick and train a Seeker, dedicating enough resources to catch  your Golden Snitches.
3. Third, keep scoring Quaffles, in order to be in the game for as long as possible. You never know if you will catch a Golden Snitch this year, so meanwhile keep doing the work.
4. Fourth, be aware of your Bludgers. Identify your risks and obstacles and always be prepared to avoid, fight or manage them.
5. Fifth, you must be a keeper, and focus on leading not doing, by keeping everyone centered on their jobs, and not diverting resources and efforts to the wrong priorities.

Quidditch is a great game but, like business, you never know if, how and when it will end. So keep playing for as long as you are enjoying it.

© Oriol López Villena 2022

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