3 Leadership Lessons from the FIFA World Cup - FocusU

3 Leadership Lessons from the FIFA World Cup

Leadership lessons from fifa

On July 14th, the world was waiting with bated breath for the climax of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The final countdown had begun, and the entire world was waiting to see which team would take the illustrious trophy home – France or Croatia.

FIFA might just seem like a football tournament to many people, and you might even be one of them. However, it still has a lot to teach us. It is not just a game, but also a passion that rules the heart of every fan. From the many lessons that FIFA teaches us, we have listed the ones that will help you most in your daily life, and help you become a great leader. So, let us take our love of football to a whole new level and dive into some leadership lessons from something that is much more than just a game for so many people around the world.

Focus on the Purpose

The World Cup is one of the most prestigious football tournaments. It requires a combination of effort, skill, and talent to win. The game is not about showcasing one’s personal abilities; players must coordinate their efforts and strive towards making their country proud. When all these players sideline their personal goals and play towards achieving a common goal, then victory follows. Similarly, in an organisation, it is essential that the personal goals of the employees be aligned with the common organizational goals. It is crucial for the leadership of the company to direct the efforts of their employees towards a unified purpose. Without this, success is a distant dream.

Accept Victory and Defeat with Grace

Win or lose – both have their lessons to teach. When you win, accept it graciously and appreciate the opponent for their efforts and good performance. Conversely, if you lose, know that failure is the best teacher, so learn the lessons it teaches you. Treat every step in your journey as an experience and learn from it. Leaders are the ones whom the employees follow, which make it imperative for them to support their team during all the highs and lows. Win or lose, they should know that the show must go on and that every new day brings with it new hopes.

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Learn from Your and Other’s Mistakes

Learning is a lifelong process. The mistakes – whether made by you, your team, or your competitors – are inevitable. Therefore, it is essential to learn from them. The more you educate yourself about the lessons of mistakes and failure, the better you will be able to perform in the later stages of the organisational career.

Every sport teaches us the lessons of discipline, creativity, teamwork, failure, sportsmanship, and so much more. It is imperative to have a sportsman spirit in life – both personal and professional. Just like a sports team is nothing without its coach, individuals at a workplace are nothing without their leaders and managers. Visionary, leader, trendsetter, role model, influential, inspiring – these are the terms that define who the followers consider their leader. Heed the lessons that the 2018 FIFA World Cup teaches you. It, indeed, is quite important!

If you are a FIFA fan and have learnt your share of lessons, do share it with us!

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