Kick Your Career into High Gear: 8 Tips from the Pitch

TLDR: The Euro Cup isn't just entertainment - it's a goldmine of leadership lessons. From the importance of stepping back to move forward, to the power of diversity and the need to celebrate milestones, soccer strategies translate surprisingly well to business success. Whether you're dribbling a ball or leading a team, these 8 insights will help you score big in your career.

This is undoubtedly a blog of a different color!

I had the pleasure of watching many of the Euro Cup games over the last few weeks, and while I'm from the U. S., and more or less agnostic about who wins, I do have to say that this year my preferred team time did win.

Spain had an amazing run and is an amazing team. I got to watch almost all of their games.

PSST: I have to admit to having a bit of a crush on their player Marc Cucurella

When he runs down the field with his mop of hair and his pink cleats it's almost like he's floating.

Not to mention the fact that he's a really good soccer/football player.

So what did I learn/remember while watching?

8 Success Tips

Here are Eight career and leadership tips that I was reminded of as I watched the many games that I was able to watch.

1. Sometimes you have to step back in order to go forward. There are many times when the offense passed the ball back to the defense as they were trying to create conditions to score. And the same is true for us. Sometimes we have to take a step back in our careers in order to go forward. I know many women who have done that.

It's also true that sometimes we have to take a step back and rethink our position in the face of new evidence. in order to go forward with a recommendation that will stick.

2.Sometimes we have to go slow to go fast. There were many times in all of the games when, rather than keep an unrelenting offense going, the team would pause to set up a play. So the rhythm of the game changed from fast and frantic to slow and methodical. In business, this is a truth I learned early in my career in relation to Implementing new technology.

When organizations were methodical in their planning, implementation (and I don't mean just the switch over, I mean the switch over and the transition to effective use) of the technology, always went faster.

3. The best players saw the whole picture and communicated with their teammates. There were many times when the camera enabled us to see that, even as they dribbled the ball downfield, players would lift their head, look around for open teammates and successfully pass the ball. Why? Either because the play was known in advance or because there was communication eye to eye, by hand, or sometimes verbally.

This is so true of leaders at every level. Seeing the big picture, especially through business acumen, financial acumen, and strategic acumen and communicating with teammates and direct reports about that big picture, is a success factor for you as the leader (at whatever level) and for your organization.

4. Appreciation of diversity matters. Spain (and the other teams) had diversity of talent, diversity of heritage diversity of age. Speaking of age, I also in love with Lamine Yamal, who was playing in a Euro Cup at the age of 16 with much more seasoned and older players. Diversity of style. The Spanish team had their buttoned up players and their scruffy players.

If the field is diverse when we seek talent, our teams become diverse. As I commented on a story that my friend and colleague Sandra Veledar from I.Liv.
told about two managers who headed up similar teams. One was a woman, one was a man. Her team ended up being 50 50, women and men. His ended up being all men.

I explained that it's because women are more likely to recognize talent in other women. Because, in most cases, we don't look through mindsets based on stereotypes about women, men, careers and leadership.

5. Effort doesn't count! Something else that happened in the finals was Spain dominated in the first half And yet the score didn't reflect it at all. They went into halftime and the score was 0 - 0 Spain v England.

This reminded me of something that I say often.

"No one cares the storms you encounter. They only care did you bring in the ship." 

Even though you might work really hard and bring all your expertise to bear, if you don't deliver outcomes, it really doesn't matter in terms of how you're perceived.

It can matter to you in terms of knowing that you are doing your best. But those outside of you who will make career decisions about you in most cases won't care.

6. Celebrate milestones. For each team, every goal was an occasion for celebration. The joy and esprit de corps that they showed after each goal was uplifting.

And we need those interim wins. And we need to celebrate those wins whenever we're on a journey toward hitting key outcomes.

So, as a colleague a manager or an executive, make sure that you build in milestone celebrations - even as your team or your colleagues stay focused on the long term goal of hitting those outcomes that will keep the organization vibrant, vital, and moving forward.

7. Sometimes you have to get out of your lane.  If I turned my head away and then returned to the match, I would be surprised that someone from defense was far up field on offense, or someone on the left had switched over to the right. The same is true for us.

Sometimes to be effective, we have to get out of our lane. Saying, "That's not my job" will hold you back. Hearing, "That's not your job" will hold the organization back.

This is especially true when it comes to creating coalitions for change and or pointing out issues and potential solutions.

And finally, the last lesson I want to mention because it's kind of silly and I think you'll appreciate it.

8. Real men do wear pink. I was flabbergasted at the number of players on all the teams who were wearing pink cleats.

The origin behind them is a little murky.

Some people say it was originally in honor of the Breast Cancer Month. Some people write that it's an anti- homophobic statement

To me the reason doesn't really matter. It's a delightful break from gender norms. Further, now it's a "thing," but I am reminded that the pioneers displayed courage, values and foresight. All aspects of personal greatness - the foundation upon which we stand as leaders.

I hope that one or more of these tips resonates with and inspires you to continue to be the best at what you do!

Catch you next time,
Susan