THE chief executive, chairman and coach of the Warrington Wolves went through a 90 minute Q&A session at the Warrington Campus last week on the contribution of the club to society and business in Warrington.

Taking all questions and talking very openly it highlighted how the club is part of the ‘DNA’ of the town.

Tony Smith was inevitably asked about recent form and he explained how problems on the pitch are a complex blend of factors coming together which effect performance. Illness, injury, personal issues, confidence it’s never one thing.

This is an important lesson for anyone in any organisation. As a manager it is rare that you can see a single ‘fix’ for a problem is and it’s often a combination of things such as equipment, processes, conditions and of course lack of education and training for people which can cause below par performance.

So how can you go about fixing the issue?

Being able to see the detail, while keeping an eye on the overall picture is a real skill. Understanding how each element contributes to the whole requires real insight.

The energy to ‘fix’ each and every element requires real determination behind it. Perspiration pays, but you also need brains.

LAWRENCE Bellamy is deputy provost at the University of Chester’s Padgate campus and writes a regular column for the business page