Why Aston Villa's drop is a lesson to us all
TTG StaffAnother season of discontent, pain and misery. The fifth in a row. And this time there is to be no escape.
My beloved Aston Villa is to be relegated from the Premier League.
Villa’s steady decline over the last five seasons has been a sorry tale of bad decision making, poor leadership, and a singular lack of vision that goes right to the very top of the club.
Our American billionaire chairman has proved to be a shrinking violet in the face of challenging times rather than the inspirational leader that galvanises and energises through thick and thin.
In every business, organisation or team the leader is responsible. Responsible for success and failure. Black and white. No question.
If you are a business owner or leader of a team then the performance of that business or team is your responsibility. So take it.
Fail to do so and, like the Villa, you could find the trap door opening below you.
According to many commentators, for the last 25 years or so the travel agent has been dying. And many agencies have indeed failed to stand the test of time. In the early 1990’s there were 7,000 odd travel agent offices trading. In 2015 that number is more like 4,000.
On the surface, it’s depressing. Many of those agents that have disappeared have only themselves to blame. Their leaders lacked vision. They did not recognise a changing market place. They did not adapt. They did not take responsibility.
Scratch a little deeper however, and there is so much to be positive about for travel retailers in the UK.
The travel agent model is not dying. It is alive and well in the hands of smart thinking, driven leaders taking responsibility for the future success of their business.
The April 7 edition of TTG, which profiled the inaugural shortlist of travel agencies for this year’s TTG Top 50, was inspirational and uplifting, and contained story after story of success on the high street.
Multiple branches. One shop independents. Teams large and small. Businesses old and new. They were all there, and pretty much everyone was being led by switched-on owners and managers with great ideas, a can-do attitude, taking responsibility and setting the agenda for success.
And in the national categories there were many amazing examples of the travel agent model being adapted and developed to succeed in the modern world. By thinking differently and making brave decisions, existing travel agents and new entrants to the market are consistently re-writing the rule book and often achieving incredible growth as a result.
There is a goldmine of ideas and inspiration to take from the 38 pages that TTG deservedly devoted to the finalists. That’s a whole load of positivity to go feed off!
The travel agent model is not dying. It is alive and well in the hands of smart thinking, driven leaders taking responsibility for the future success of their business.
What I wish for more than anything right now is that culture and energy be re-ignited down at Villa Park. Without it the slippery slope of further painful decline is the only likely outcome.
Richard Dixon is director of Holidaysplease
TTG Staff
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