Messi, Leadership and the Best Results

How football (soccer) and business leadership skills are the same to achieve the best results.

I share in this article, with emotion and motivation, three meaningful items that made a strong impact in my life: The ticket for the final of the 1978 Argentina World Cup, where I went as a 16-year-old with my father; a 2014 Brazil World Cup replica given to me by a friend in Rio; and an image of Messi strongly motivating the team before the 2021 Copa America final in Brazil.

Of course, I am very happy (and relieved) my team won their third World Cup in Qatar on December 2022, and as a peer group coach and mentor, I can’t help listing the similarities, skills and results of business leadership with the Argentine team, led by coach Lionel Scaloni and captain Lionel Messi.

To improve performance and achieve the best results, a leader must:

Inspire a Common Vision- Understand the organization, have a clear purpose, drive unity and motivation.

Before every match, Messi encourages and motivates all teammates. In the talk before winning the Copa América, he mentioned the years close to winning, the quality and unity of the players and the fact that they were 45 days away from families (and some newborns!) to be there and bring the cup back home.

Be Humble- Have a controlled ego, listen actively to all and be grateful for the team efforts and commitments.

Coach Scaloni is a perfect example of humility, is a servant leader, works side-by-side with the players, listens to his assistants, and aligns mission and strategy with the key experienced player, captain Messi.

Communicate Effectively- Transmit the goals and inspire trust. Must share, seek for opinions, talk to all levels in the organization and delegate decisions.

Since Scaloni joined as a temporary coach, he communicated consistently with the team and its captain. Young and inexperienced (44, the youngest in the WC), he studied and learnt with all others, asked for feedback, and found what was needed to become a winning team again. They remained unbeaten for two years and he became the permanent coach.

 Be Self-Aware- Understand the strengths, weaknesses, and their behavioral impact on the organization.

Messi, considered by many as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), understands the respect and admiration of the younger players and the football community. He and the team realized they had quality players but were ineffective with the end results. When they studied, adapted, maximized their strengths, and unified, the championship victories started happening.

 Be a Team Player- Know how to manage and lead people, build winning teams and serve as an example.

Messi’s dedication and emotional quest for victory motivate all around him. He never takes individual credit for the wins, it’s always about the team. The Argentine team has a ‘family’ culture of trust, love, and respect. (And a lot of grit, a sum of passion with perseverance).

 Manage (and embrace) Change- Have the will and learning agility to change the course and adapt plans to external pressures.

Coach Scaloni changed many team players after their first match defeat to Saudi Arabia. He then continued changing in every match, adapting the strategy based on the competition. One example was to start older and slightly injured Angel Di Maria in the final, with decades of experience in major matches, who ended generating a penalty and scoring the second goal.

 Be Resilient- Learn from the defeats, get back up and fight again for the objectives.

Argentina were runners-up in five major finals this last decade before winning the Copa America in 2021 and the 2022 Qatar World Cup. After being ahead 2 x 0 for 80 minutes, France tied the match in two minutes! In the extra time they scored again but suffered yet another penalty goal. In the end, Argentina had the resilience, strong mind-set and tactical cool to score the four kicks (and defend one) and win in the penalty shoot-out.

 History was made and a third star was born, as a result of true leadership and, grit!

#leadership #resilience #vision #strategy #success Vistage Portugal