As many of the everyLIFE team will attest to, I am very keen on cricket. I played the game at various levels over about 35 years, am now an armchair expert and, if there were such a team, I could probably talk, not to say bore, for England on the subject. So, what then does cricket have to do with digital care software?
Well, I think my cricket career and, what I was coached to be as a wicket-keeper, has some striking parallels with what everyLIFE is striving to achieve as a provider of digital care software. Now, please bear with me.
As well as always looking the part, a good wicket-keeper should be almost unnoticeable. He or she should do everything that is expected of them; catch the catches, make the stumpings, cleanly collect the ball when the batsman plays and misses, tidy up all the returns from the fielders and make the fielding side look brilliant by ensuring every ball is dealt with in an immaculate fashion. He or she will therefore be noticed for their mistakes, if they do not make mistakes, they are taken for granted, they almost become invisible but are crucial to the effectiveness and success of the team.
Let me explain by way of an example. When two cricket sides play against each other, a good way to assess the performance as a player is to see, from their performance on the day, which 11 players would be picked from both sides. As there is a wicket-keeper in each team, I always wanted to be the best I could and certainly be better than the opposition’s wicket-keeper. I would always, therefore, keep a surreptitious eye on my opposite number and gauge my ability and performance against them.
I recall a game I was playing in Essex in the early 1980s where, as the opposition team took the field, their wicket-keeper was immaculately attired; smart white pads, clean boots, fresh whites and shirt, beautifully maintained wicket-keeping gloves, all topped off with a mop of dark coiffured hair and a very smart dark blue cap. Now, it had always been drummed into me that looking the part was of the utmost importance and this wicket-keeper certainly looked the part. I remember thinking that I would struggle to be the best wicket-keeper on the day if he was as good as he looked.
As our innings progressed, looking the part began to appear deceptive. This poor wicket-keeper dropped the ball, missed byes and generally had, what is commonly termed, a shocker. This performance was finally crowned when one of our batsmen skied the ball, the wicket-keeper circled uncertainly under the catch and as he looked up to get a good sight of the ball, not only did his dark blue cap fall off, but all of his hair did too. So, this wicket-keeper had become the star attraction, he was what everybody was talking about but for all the wrong reasons.
I believe the same criteria should be applied to digital care software. Care Offices that implement digital care planning should not notice it, they should take it for granted, it should be part of the fabric of their operations and it should just quietly do everything expected of it with the minimum of fuss, making no mistakes, not dropping the ball. That is the challenge we have set ourselves at everyLIFE. As a digital care software provider, we want the PASSsystem to be the equivalent of a great wicket-keeper, taken for granted in your business and practically invisible to the casual spectator but absolutely central to your success.
By
Bruce Hiscock, CEO
