As millions watch Euro 2020 and Copa America, I can’t help to draw on the incredible similarities between football & business.
Football (soccer) is a global business valued at an estimated 28 Billion annually and top players can command incredible transfer fees and wages.
Girls and boys all over the world aspire to be just like their favourite players.
As we look closer Football as a game resembles business in many ways.
Business and football both rely on the following key dynamics:
Teamwork
Great players like Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe require teammates to show their personalized skills to the world.
Business success relies on teamwork to effectively execute the business plan. ‘teamwork makes the dream work”.
Everyone Knows Their Position and Their Role.
The goalkeeper and strikers are both playing the game of football and are interdependent. But, they have defined roles, functions, skills, accountabilities, and responsibilities.
Just like in business, each function, process, and responsibility ought to be clearly defined for the business to function efficiently and effectively.
Operations and marketing require different skills and abilities but one cannot exist without the other.
Negotiation
In football and as in business the opposition is not going to yield ground. You do not get a free ride.
You will need to negotiate challenges, contracts, relationships and so much more in order to win.
Leadership
Every Football team has a captain, who ensures that the game plan is executed as planned on the pitch.
The captain provides guidance, motivation, and reassurance that success will come.
Via their leadership, they show that it can be done.
The success of a business is often attributed to the power of the captain. Steve Jobs at Apple and Jack Welch at GE Electrics. Their vision and determination for success makes it a reality.
Keeping Score and Having the Goal in Site
If you’re not keeping score you are not in the game to win.
Football is quite a simple game the team that scores the most goals is the winner of the game.
In business, the team with the greatest profit wins.
Both are regulated by rules and adjudicated by a referee.
Throughout the game or the life of the business, the scoreboard will reflect actual performance.
Recognition
Individuals or the team will be rewarded for performance.
Players get an additional bonus per wins, per goal scored and other key performance measurements.
Winning a major football title brings about fame and recognition has the best.
For years Apple dominated the mobile phone market with their innovative products driving Apple to be the first US-traded company to be valued at One Trillion Dollars.
Samsung fierce competition is giving Apple a run for its money.
Just like the rivalry of Real Madrid Vs Barcelona – Messi Vs Ronaldo.
All Teams Have a Coach
Coaches, both in sport and in business, develop player(s)/staff full potential. They are responsible for training, analysing performances, instructing in relevant skills, providing encouragement and a strategic game plan to win.
Interestingly, most football coaches were not great players. Coaching requires a quite different set of skills, mindset, and abilities.
A coach will see what needs to be done to close the gap between planned and actual performance.
It is an endless process of continuous improvement as nothing remain constant and without change.
Business as in Football to win is very much determined by your attitude, effort, and ability.
Mindset is everything, football history is full of upset wins by ‘underdogs’ team who rose to the occasion and dominated on their day.
Successful companies like Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon had humble beginnings but quickly dominated because they played the game of business with more conviction and ability.
For business owners seeking to play their best possible game, we offer tailored business coaching that is affordable in providing solutions for you to experience.
Our passion is to assist you to have the business you always dream of having and the lifestyle to go with it.