Time to get proactive. The range of knowledge and experience among members of CL can be second to none on all sorts of issues. There are probably a good few people on here who have worked for companies that are part of pan-European (or global) networks. Suddenly this type of experience could be relevant for our lil' ol' football club. So why don't we collectively spill the beans - you never know, it might be useful...
I've worked for marketing agencies at various stages of network development...so here are a few of my thoughts/tips:
- Carve out a niche for what your part of the network does best - in marketing terms, it might be the agency that wins loads of creative awards, in football it might be the club with the best youth development or the best analysis of prozone stats (come back Bradley Pritchard!). Build your reputation throughout the network in this area - don't be arrogant, but share learning/ experiences.
- Never underestimate cultural differences, which sometimes verge on stereotypes - for example, the Dutch and Germans will be very direct in their communications, whereas the French might say yes all the way through a meeting only to refuse to commit to the deal in the end...don't let this surprise you.
- Build relationships with your peers/ at your own level across the network. Could be just as important for SCP to get to know the managers of the other Duchatelet clubs as it is to build a relationship with the man himself - that way the managers can use their relationships to influence the decisions at the top, rather than fight their own battles individually.
- The simplest, but hardest, of the lot - deliver the expected results. (For marketing agencies this almost certainly means financial, let's hope for CAFC it is results on the pitch rather than short-term profit...) If you can keep things on track, you will probably be left to get on with it most of the time, whereas, if you become the "problem child", you will face constant scrutiny and meddling from the network bosses.
What else?
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