Every World Cup leaves many lessons about leadership, talent management and team building.
In the coming editions we’ll share some of them, because football lets us observe some of the challenges many organizations also face today. Especially when pressure rises.
The first lesson appears on the bench.
In a competition at this level, leadership isn’t exercised only over those who take the field from the first minute, but also over those who train every day knowing they might not get the prominence they hoped for.
That’s one of the most delicate challenges for any head coach, because keeping a player who isn’t in the spotlight engaged takes more than a motivational talk.
It requires that person to understand their role, trust the team’s judgment and keep feeling that their preparation makes sense even though their chance hasn’t come yet.
Spain experienced something like this in the 2010 World Cup final.
Cesc Fàbregas started that match on the bench, despite being one of the great talents of that generation.
He had to wait until the 87th minute to come on, when the match was still completely open and the tension was starting to weigh on everyone.
In extra time, after many minutes of waiting, he appeared in one of the most important plays in the history of the Spanish national team.
He received the ball, looked up and made the pass that ended in Iniesta’s goal.
Someone who didn’t start as a protagonist ended up taking part in the decisive moment.
Teams don’t only need brilliant people on the field; they also need people ready to contribute when their moment comes, even when that moment takes longer than expected.
Something similar also happens within organizations.
Not everyone always occupies the most visible place. There are moments when someone leads an important project, presents the results or receives the recognition. In others, the work simply consists of continuing to prepare the team for when the next opportunity arrives.
That’s where one of the most complex responsibilities of leadership appears. Getting people to keep feeling they’re part of the team, even when the spotlight shifts.
Because commitment doesn’t depend solely on what a person does. It also depends on how they experience the place they occupy within the group.
This isn’t the only lesson a World Cup leaves.
Every competition brings together dozens of situations that speak of leadership, decision-making, communication, change management or team building.
We often think those stories belong only to sport.
However, it’s enough to observe them with a little attention to discover that the challenges appearing on the pitch aren’t so different from those many organizations face today.
That was precisely the idea behind Road to 2026, a comprehensive leadership program inspired by the lessons the football World Cup leaves.
Through seven workshops we explore how some of the World Cup’s best-known situations can help us better understand the challenges faced today by those who lead people and teams.
Some lessons are much better understood when observed in action. “The champions’ bench” is the first of them.
In the next article: “The changing room”. Because some of the moments that most influence a team’s performance happen when the match hasn’t even started yet.
→ If you’re interested in learning more about Road to 2026 and discovering how we bring these lessons to the development of leaders and teams within organizations, we’ll be glad to tell you about it.
— Berta
P.S.: Do you think a good leader should devote more time to those who are shining… or to those still waiting for their chance?
