Leadership lessons from the World Cup
If your organization is anything like mine, youâÂÂve likely noticed a general uptick of interest in ESPN and maybe a slower Internet speed at work. The World Cup brings with it excitement, camaraderie, strategy and a healthy dose of competition â not unlike the business world.
Krauthammer, a leadership website, explains five lessons from âÂÂfootballâ that you can apply to your business, including the need to:
- Combine passion with performance. Coaches know their players â their strengths and weaknesses and how to use their skills successfully. How well do we, as leaders, know our team?
- Keep control. âÂÂAn extraordinary coach always keeps success in sight but takes responsibility for failure and accepts the penalty that comes with losing.âÂÂ
- Match the message to the moment. A good coach knows when to talk tough and when to offer encouragement.
Sir Alex Ferguson managed EnglandâÂÂs Manchester United team for 27 years. During that time, Manchester United won 13 league championships and 25 other domestic and international trophies. He offers some leadership style advice, including this nugget on the need to adapt: âÂÂMost people with my kind of track record donâÂÂt look to change. But I always felt I couldnâÂÂt afford not to change. My job was to give us the best possible chance of winning. That is what drove me.âÂÂ
That same desire for success â for our organizations as well as our team â should drive all of us.