Management Lessons From Football Coaches
Just like in football, managers are not paid to try - you are paid to win and you are judged by your performance and your results. What lessons can we learn from successful football managers such as Alf Ramsey, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Marcello Lippi and Vicente Del Bosque?
If you have management responsibilities your role involves competition, strategy, tactics, leadership, teamwork and driving performance. Here are three coaching lessons you can apply to provide your team with a competitive advantage.
Lesson 1: Combine the right attitude with the right skills
A football manager is a born winner and is able to create a team with the right mixture of personality and skill set. He is able to understand everyone's motivations and strengths and has the ability to compensate weaknesses. A successful manager is persistent, resilient and is able to provide the right tools to maximize performance and create a winners mentality.
Lesson 2: Balancing risk and opportunity
A coach is on top of his game and a manager should be able to monitor their team's performance, giving direct feedback and determining the areas for improvement. A pro-active manager is able to make a tough and risky call while still being able to grab the opportunity to improve their team by building a bench of talent and to quickly anticipate on change by bringing in the right player.
Lesson 3: Do not get complacent
A world class football manager is never satisfied and is always looking to improve areas of weakness. They want to stay ahead of their competition and knows there is no room for error. Success depends on how well a manager prepares their team in order to grab opportunities that come along the way. While you can get lucky once in a while, there is no such thing as luck in business. Stay curious and separate yourself from the average.
