Speak with a Sense of Grace

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What goes through an executive's head when they need to make an important decision and communicate it to a live audience?

What should the executive say? How shall he present his ideas? What tone should she strike? Should the executive raise past disagreements? Or should they open the door for future and more positive relations?

These are the questions that we see Aleksander Čeferin wrestle with as he considers his speech to fellow members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the media in the wake of the breakup of the nascent Super League. Ceferin allowed a camera crew to document his thinking process as he prepared for this speech in Montreux, Switzerland, in April 2021. The scene is part of the 4-part documentary series Super League: The War for Football, airing on Apple TV+.

The backstory

The series is a fascinating inside look at the business of football and the powers that control the sport. The series gives voice not only to the owners of the football clubs but also to the fans who are passionate about the sport. Ceferin, a lawyer by training from Slovenia, is the pivotal figure in the series. Opposite him is Andrea Angelli, head of Juventus FC and part of a legendary family of automotive industrialists. Angelli, a one-time friend of Ceferin, is a key figure, along with the owners of two Spanish clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, trying to create this “super league.” The issue is, of course, money. The big clubs want more and more because their clubs generate the most income. The smaller clubs want to remain solvent. Adding to Ceferin’s issue is his perceived betrayal by his one-time friend, Andrea Angelli.

So what Ceferin will say in his speech is essential. Will he take a hardline, or will he open the door to the clubs that sought to break away? His reasoning is statesman-like. He needs the support of the major clubs to fund the efforts of UEFA, an association of some 55 countries and hundreds of professional clubs at every level. At the same time, he must provide leadership to the lesser-earning clubs whose solvency – as well as the future of the sport itself – depends on competent and professional leadership.

What to say and why

The lesson for senior leaders is that what you say matters. You may be roiling inside over a slight – real or imagined. You represent not merely yourself or your feelings but the present and future of the organization. To align your priorities with your feelings, here are some suggestions.

Know your mission. Any presentation is fundamental to knowing what you want to say and why you are saying it. Important presentations must complement the work that the organization does.

Know your values. What we stand for is integral to such presentations. Highlight what your organization believes in as a throughline for your narrative.

Act with grace. When tempers are frayed, leaders argue their point, but they take the high road. When speaking after tough negotiations, address your rivals as colleagues. With the three breakaway clubs, he took a hard line. 

You are making the right choices in what you say matters. Ceferin took a firm stance toward the breakaway clubs and, in doing so, maintained the unity UEFA needs to succeed. That said, the concept of the Super League is not dead; it will remain an issue for years to come.

The same applies to leaders. Major decisions determine the future of the enterprise. More findings about important issues will continue to arise, and how an executive handles them will measure their leadership.

First posted on Forbes.com 3.01. 2023

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