Lessons from FIFA

Reading Time: 3 mins

Some of us watched the recently concluded FIFA World cup during ungodly hours with dreary eyes. Some of you might have wondered on the definition this kind of fun – a bunch of guys run after one ball whereas everyone could have been given one  each.

Whichever camp you belong to, there is a lot one can learn from these past 4 weeks of soccer action:

Phillipp Lahm, the German captain summarized the victory rather well with a one liner paraphrased here “others have marquee players, we have a team.” If you ponder over this line from him, it is evident that despite huge differences in individual abilities, each member of the team has a role to play. If you build your strategy too much around 1 player, you still may not get close to your goal (well, pun intended). If you do not believe this,  ask Argentina, Portugal, Brazil and so on… (Teams need to identify and strengthen on the collective team’s capabilities.)

You can be in love with what you do, but not to a point of exclusion of some realities. Passion is a key ingredient, but too much of this could break your back. Ask Brazil, it will be a while before they can keep their  back straight, sadly, too literally for their main player. It is OK to build a stadium by spending your tax payer’s money hoping that your team will play there (and become champions), but not without giving allowance for undesirable outcomes. Run with passion, but hold on to a grain of truth to guide you. (Keep our head balanced and eyes straight on tasks, but do make allowance for realities too)

It is not over, till it is over. USA was all ready for an upset of Portugal, but for a goal from Portugal in the 91st minute (yes, in the dying seconds of the game). USA supporters may have started to revel on the spoils of this victory, when they were shut out with this goal. (No work is compete till all possible exposures are plugged)

Size or skill may not matter much without self belief. Minnows of Group D (Costa Rica) topped their group. They also extinguished the Greek flame and almost send Netherlands packing. Their  display of soccer was not just reputation in motion, but ambition and skill on a bed rock of courage. You can be God in your chosen profession, but without courage you cannot seize the day. See England, Uruguay and Italy – they were out of sorts with Costa Rica – a nation who does not even have an army! (Courage the virtue on which all other virtues are mounted)

Finally, knowing data helps. Germans studied themselves and the competition closely – they improved their ball handling time from 3.4 secs to 1.1 secs. Imagine  the power of this, each member of the team knows that they need to speed up. Everyone speeds up a bit, the entire team speeds up hugely. (A small act of efficiency by each team member goes a long way for the team).

We could go on with more examples. Key point being it was not just a soccer tournament, but an epitome of strategy and execution. Lot can be learnt from this.