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Choose the right jockey!

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This article is authored and submitted by "neddy".

Please feel free to comment if you wish.

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Choose the right jockey!

Early this morning, the thought occurred to me that creating a joint domaining venture or web enterprise with others has a lot in common
with forming a horse racing syndicate or partnership.

And for purposes of this analogy, I’m talking about a “stayer” rather than a “sprinter”!


  • You can have the best and fittest horse in its class

  • You can have a champion trainer and support staff

  • You can have written employment contracts or other agreements

  • You can have the best facilities

  • You can have the punters and the media right behind you initially

But at the end of the day, and despite all of the above, who do you rely upon to get the prizes?

The Jockey.

The Jockey has such power in his hands and feet and brain.

With all things considered, you’d think and expect that your champion racehorse would romp home every time.

Despite all the spoken words and written agreements, what if the jockey:


  • Doesn’t follow the agreed plan because on the day he thinks he knows a better way? And then loses the unlosable race.

  • Has a brain snap during the race and costs you the victory - or worse he injures the horse.

  • Engages in questionable riding practises that bring him to the attention of the race stewards (and gets himself or the horse disqualified or penalised).

And then if you ultimately sack him and get another jockey, what if the original jockey is so vindictive that he goes out of his way to upset or hinder
your horse in subsequent races? (Assuming he gets rides with other stables).

So the moral to the story is make sure you choose the right jockey in the first place! Pardon the pun, but you need to look at their “track record”
and success rate. A jockey may be absolutely brilliant at times, but if he is erratic and not a team player then therein lies the risk.

These are just my thoughts and ramblings on a Saturday morning – and of course solely a personal opinion. I’d love to hear what you think. :)

Cheers, Ned
 

soj

Founder
I just got burnt by a contractor on a freelancing site. He supposedly had a good reputation. (More on that later).

That and other recent events helped inspire the above article.
 

acheeva

Top Contributor
Great analogy Ned

My mate has a great saying that he wants the perfect business "no partners, no staff & no customers"

The fact is that business is a peoples business and when there is respect for all parties you can have a great business; if not the business will always under perform

I believe This applies equally to a hot dog stand and to BHP
 

nina

Top Contributor
Just imagine -

  • The horse has never run this type of race before, but the jockey has ridden many times, and the owner still wants to tell the jockey how to 'do their job' so to speak... sure it's their money, and in the end the owner must be happy but at the cost of winning the race through bad owner advice... that's not going to make anyone happy...

  • what about where the owner through their own lack of experience, having never actually ridden the horse in a race ever, so their experience is only through their own perceptions - how can they best give advice if their goal is to win the race, unless of course the horse is only in for a run and not to win.

  • where they lack the trust of the jockey and try to micromanage to the point of a jockey not able run the race to win, even if in the 'unloseable' race, it is possible to give bad instructions, who is to blame? The jockey for listening or the owner for not knowing?

  • where the race value and demands far exceed what the jockey should be paid can also influence expected outcomes. If you starve the jockey, their focus may not always be on the win, but to get the horse to the finish line, and then on to the next horse because in reality while there is a love for the horse, there are needs that must be met.
There is good and bad in every situation - no matter who you are and where you are from. It is my belief whether a horse, a jockey or owner, that every one is as reliant on the other.

  • A horse that has some possibility to actually win the race helps...
  • An owner who knows how to pick his horses and articulates to the jockey what the desired outcome should be...
  • And a jockey that can work with and understand both horse and owner will always be the winner in the end.
And of course due diligence.. spend a bit of time researching and you will be surprised at what you can find.

It's hard to hide these days.

I have done many freelancing jobs, originally to get my experience up when learning about the technology space I work in, but found the people wanted too much for far too little.

.. just my thoughts on that.. naaaay.... :) .. oops I mean Ninayyyy..

Nina
 
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soj

Founder
Good thoughtful response Nina (and longggggggggg .......) :)

But my analogy was based on all parties involved agreeing to "the plan"; "the tactics" etc.

And then the jockey for whatever reason not following "the plan". (If he succeeds he is a hero; if he doesn't, he is deemed a hothead or worse).

And the most important person you missed out on was "the trainer" (let's assume the owner knows next to bugger all). If jockeys make a habit of not listening to the trainer (and losing), then they won't get any more rides.

But I am in total agreement with this statement of yours:

And a jockey that can work with and understand both horse and owner will always be the winner in the end.

(insert trainer in there as well!)

I guess that is what I was trying to get at ............

:D
 

Chumby

Top Contributor
Simon Marshall rode a shocker on Kingston Town when all had backed the horse when he was expected to win as a youngster. The only excuse he could come up with "This horse needs to be gelded".

Everyone believed it... so the horse was gelded... the rest is is history. Three Cox Plates later...

Moral of the story... a jockeys tongue is more powerful than his whip!

Cheers
Chumby
 

Chumby

Top Contributor
Ha... as far as the story goes it was either going to be his nuts or the horses...

Cheers
Chumby
 

findtim

Top Contributor
ohhhhh, so much to say !!

hmmmm, i have a client, my FIRST client, and he bet on me way back when, blind faith, i had NO portfolio, no past experience, and he paid up which started my business, and geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i've looked after him ever since because i acknowledge his blind faith and he has never mentioned it.

pick your jockey's but take a chance and give someone a GO, sure you are going to loose out sometimes but you just never know you might find a winner.

some one said to me recently " you should never bet what you can't afford to loose" and thus you actually never get burnt you just learn.
 

neddy

Top Contributor
hmmmm, i have a client, my FIRST client, and he bet on me way back when, blind faith, i had NO portfolio, no past experience, and he paid up which started my business, and geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz i've looked after him ever since because i acknowledge his blind faith and he has never mentioned it.

pick your jockey's but take a chance and give someone a GO, sure you are going to loose out sometimes but you just never know you might find a winner.

All good points that you raise Tim. I totally believe in giving people a go - particularly up and comers.

My analogy was more directed at getting involved with someone who already has a history of achievement - albeit "chequered". Brilliant at times - yet a liability on other occasions. Can talk the talk; but perhaps doesn't always "walk the talk". ;)
 

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