Watching the UEFA Euro 2012 football match last night between England v Ukraine, it was fascinating to see how the England team reacted to intense pressure. Their Ukranian opponents dominated the match for prolonged periods with the added advantage of playing on home soil in front of their vocal supporters. England won 1-0 snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Marshalled by their introverted captain Steven Gerrard, the England team defended staunchly, making rare forays into their opponent’s half of the field. They took the lead, arguably against the run of play and nursed their 1-0 advantage for almost all of the second half.
Was their play ‘pretty’? Was there rhythm to it? Did they consistently string more than 2 or 3 passes together? Did they have more possession than their opponents? Did they have more scoring opportunities than Ukraine? The answer was NO! They were outplayed and still they still won.
So what are the lessons from such a seemingly lack-lustre display producing a winning result?
- They had a plan – defend, defend, defend and counter attack when opportunities arose.
- They focused and stuck to their plan – they didn’t deviate OR give up, even when the cause appeared lost.
- They put the team’s needs/the task at hand (concentrating on the present) before themselves (witness Scott Parker taking a ball in the face from almost point blank range).
- They seem collectively immune to the media, their critics, their fans in the stadium and millions more watching on tv thought to the way they played, even if at a personal level it’s not the way they would choose.
- They took their scant opportunities when they arose.
Now think about your organisation or company…
- Do you have a clear plan?
- Do you stick to it or get thrown off-course too easily?
- Are you/your team members fully aligned to the goal, acting collaboratively?
- Do you/your team pay undue attention to others and dilute your efforts in order to ‘please others’?
- Are you/your team fleet of foot? Do you capitalise on opportunities when they arise? Or do you procrastinate/deliberate for too long and miss them?
- Are you/your team members focusing too much on the future and the past, derailing your current efforts?
Will England win the tournament? Will they even progress beyond the quarter final against Italy? Will they start to play attractive football? What we do know from the evidence so far is that they will be a hard team to beat. They will formulate a plan, collectively stick to it, focus on the task at hand and give 100%.
Post a reply with your experience and thoughts. It will be great to hear from you.
Leadership Insights 