A football defensive player must protect against the “end run” — a tactical play where the opponent sends the ball wide around the defensive line, trying to evade the incoming tackle. Just like in football, in business you need to protect against end runs coming from suppliers, employees, and even customers.
What Is a Business End Run?
A business end run happens when someone bypasses your systems, boundaries, or authority to achieve their own objectives — often at your expense. It can come from:
- Suppliers who approach your customers directly
- Employees who circumvent management to get what they want
- Customers who pressure junior staff to override policies
- Partners who take advantage of ambiguous agreements
- Competitors who target your best customers or employees
How to Build Your Business Defense
- Create clear boundaries and agreements. Ambiguity invites end runs. Make your expectations, policies, and agreements explicit and documented.
- Build strong direct relationships. The best defense against supplier or customer end runs is having strong, multi-level relationships that are not dependent on a single point of contact.
- Empower your team with clear authority. When your people know their boundaries and feel supported in enforcing them, end runs are less likely to succeed.
- Monitor your blind spots. Every business has vulnerabilities. Regularly assess where you are exposed and take proactive steps to strengthen those areas.
- Move first. The best defense is sometimes offense. Identify potential end run scenarios before they happen and put preventive measures in place.
As a business coach, I help business owners identify their end run vulnerabilities and build the systems and relationships needed to protect what they have built.
🔗 Further Reading:
