Management Lessons from Football
Football is game that involves 2 teams consisting of 11 players each fighting for a win by one team scoring more goals in the opponent nets within a fixed time period of 90 Minutes. Each team deploys its players at various strategic position and allot them some responsibilities for the match. The players can be divided into 4 major category based on their positions:
- Goalkeeper
- Defender
- Midfielder
- Attacker
Various competitions that every big team competes for every year can be classified into 2 category (a) Domestic League (b) Europa/Champions league
These competition vary widely in terms of their format. Domestic league is played over the course of 1 year with each team playing a total of 38 matches (in case of LaLiga of Spain) and it requires consistent effort yearlong from the team to have a chance to win the league as the winner is decided based on the cumulative point scored in 38 matches. Hence, this format of the competition rewards most consistent team.
Champions’ league is different format in which top 4 teams of different league of Europe compete together for the Title. This competition is played in a knockout format and hence rewards a team which performs best during those 90 min of the game.
Anyone who follows the game regularly would know above things. Now in the following articles I will share few management lessons that football has taught me over the years.
(i) Strategy and Goal setting — Competing in these top tier competition requires a lot of planning and dynamic strategy. Football is a physical intensive game and during the period of one year, a team faces many challenges such as tight schedule of matches, player injuries, out-form players and team. It may not always be possible for a team to compete in all the competition with same player and hence a manager should practically assess his players and focus on one competition when the situation demands. For example in 2017, Zinedin Zidane –Head Coach of Real Madrid CF choose to focus the team strength on Champions league since they realized it is difficult to win the domestic league.
Tactics: As a manager it is important to understand and set objectives, plans and small goals which will lead us in reaching our ultimate goal. We learn how to strategize. Choosing between offensive play, defensive play, maximizing possession etc. helps channelizing our focus and achieve our ultimate goal. As a manager, each game has to be approached as a different game. He should assess the opponent previous games and then choose a team that will be best suited for a particular opponent.
(ii) Team work and collaboration — Football is a game of passing the ball and thus requires much more team work than any other physical game. For example, players need to have an understanding about what their team wants to achieve and should move accordingly. Great player and manager of Barcelona, Johan Cruyff once quoted
“When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average … So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines wether you’re a good player or not.”
This game teach us the importance of team work by understanding the teammate positioning and their thought process. We learn the importance of complementing each other’s strengths. We collaborate as a team in trying to make the best possible play. There are legends in solo play making as well. But nothing can do more damage than a whole team playing off each other’s strengths and weaknesses with a shared goal and collaborative effort. Barcelona trio of Messi-Neymar-Suaraze was one the most deadly attacking line up for any team in the history and this lethalness was majorly because of their coordination among themselves.
(iii) Leadership: Football teach us how to take on responsibility, be answerable for our actions and lead a team. We learn how to build rapports, chemistry, partnerships and leverage them to perform in the best way. Managing individuals team members as a leader and empowering them to give suggestions and feedback is important. Sergio Ramos (Captain of Real Madrid CF) is currently one of the best captains and leader in the game. He displays all the qualities of leadership on the field. Not only he inspires his teammates with his hard work and performance but also provide motivation and hope during the crucial moments of the game. His 93rd minute header in 2014 champions’ league final is a moment to remember for ages. He fights till the last moment and his work ethic is unparallel. Another example of great leader is Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano lead Portugal team to 2016 Euro cup final. In the final, when he got injured after 30 min in the game, he continued to motivate his team mate and because of his efforts, Portugal won their first Euro Cup in 2016.
(iv) People Management: Football is a game of 11 players and because of sheer amount of physical effort involved, it is very important for a manager to manage its player well. A manager need to provide game time to its important player but also at the same time develop new talent in the squad. As a manager, one should understand when to play a major player and when to rest him. Real Madrid CF Manager Zinedin Zidane in 2016 won both Champions League and La Liga and the most important reason behind such a great success was the team bench strength. Real Madrid’s B team which was their bench strength was in itself a very strong team capable of beating any giant in the football world. Zidane exemplified great skill in rotating his squad and managing the bench strength of such strong player which yielded great results for the team.
(v) Time management — It’s a 90 minute game. Time management is the key. Substitutions have to made at the right times. Shifting from one strategy to another at the right time is essential. Towards the end of either half, or of any overtime period, the time remaining on the game clock becomes increasingly relevant. Team has to continuously evolve its strategy on the pitch to stay relevant in the game and that’s why utilizing time effectively is very important in the game.
(vi) Handling success and failure (learning is important) — Win or lose is the part of the game and the game provides ample opportunity to learn from both. Each game provides an opportunity to make mistake and learn from it. Teams increasingly are using advanced technologies to analyze games and thus provides opportunities to learn not just from your mistake but also other team mistakes. When you lose an important match, you need to pick yourself up and work again next day, analyze mistake and work with even more intensity. In day to day life and work, we will both win and lose, but if we keep focusing on playing a good game, we are bound to come out as winners in the long run.
(vii) Take Responsibility: Sir Alex Furguson, Famous Manchester United manager, has always been one to take responsibility for the team’s failure, or occasionally transfer the responsibility to the match officials. He never lets the team or the players down in the media. He defended Cantona after his scissor kick aimed at a fan, Keano’s ridiculous tackle that almost broke Haland’s leg and Ronaldo when he was ridiculed by the whole of England after getting Rooney sent off at the 2006 World Cup.
(viii) Build great relationship: Ferguson is known for having strong relationships with other premier league managers — He is known for sharing a bottle of wine with rival managers before matches at Old Trafford. On the 25th anniversary of his becoming United’s manager, the tributes poured in from other top managers — Jose Mourinho said “I call him Boss because he is the boss of all managers”. He maintains excellent relationships with players who have left the club and now play for/manage rival clubs and he goes out of his way to repair any broken relationships (like what happened with David Beckham).
Football is great source of entertainment but it also provides a real time insight into application of management lessons.