Entrepreneurial lessons from FIFA 2014
FIFA World Cup 2014 has left us with a lot of memories.
So what did you learn from this World Cup?
Let’s find out:
1. Accept defeat:
Never blame others for your shortcomings. Apparently, in a couple of matches this season, some losing team members were found complaining about the nationality of the referees. How about just accepting your faults and moving on with a vision to work on your mistakes?
Blaming the referee for the nation he comes from is just an excuse to cover your mistakes.
2. Accept victory, but don’t overdo it:
Be happy about your victory, but don’t make your competitor feel unhappy. Consoling and appreciating their efforts will always lead to a healthy competition and maintain a good relationship.
Remember what happened when Brazil won over Colombia? Brazilian David Luiz consoled young striker James Rodriguez from Colombia, and asked the audience to applaud him.
3. Team is your strength:
Never underestimate team work. To get on top as an individual while working in a team might be a win for you but not for your team. When in a team, work with the team.
For instance, Neymar’s injury cost Brazil the world cup. It seems like Messi won as an individual, but Argentina lost as a team.
4. Learn from your mistakes and others’ too:
Brazil being a strong team lost to Germany. Only if they had learnt from the mistakes, they might have possibly won their next match against the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Argentina analyzed the mistakes made by Brazil and bucked up for their final match against Germany. Though they lost, it was a close one.
5. Winners never have excuses:
If you are focused towards your goal, nothing can stop you. Coming up with problems that are not meant to be will lead to disgracing yourself and the society from where you come from. FIFA has seen many players in the past faking injuries and blaming referees for no reasons. This has only resulted to lower self esteem.
6. Be ready for constant efforts:
Tasting success today doesn’t mean you’ll be fed with it each day. You will have to struggle to stay on the top. Success comes to those who work hard for it. By hard we mean really hard.
It took Germany 14 long years to prove themselves as a team with great co-ordination.
7. Make your vision and mission visible:
It is important for you to sell your vision and mission well. A good explanation will lead to acceptance. All the concerns should be addressed and questions need to have satisfactory answers.
For instance, a criticism was raised on Brazil for hosting the largest sports tournament in the world. How can a country with so much poverty host such an expensive event? It was taken into account that Brazil was the only country with a surplus budget previous year. Apart from this, the government said that the developmental impetus for construction workers, the exposure for the local residents, and the atmosphere it creates are immeasurable.
8. Be sporty, stay in the game:
If you lose, doesn’t mean you are out. Stay cheerful and enjoy watching others play their part. Life doesn’t come to an end if you are out of the game.
Neymar suffered injury and couldn’t play anymore. His dream to play the world cup came down crashing. But he was sport enough to still enjoy the game. He cheered in support of Argentina & Messi for the finals.
Next time, while watching a sport, view it with a leadership perspective & observe the hidden wonders it teaches.
Comment your inputs.