Motivation must come from within (what we can learn from football)

Our PMO manager at work wrote an internal blog post about people in a work situation with an increasing level of enthusiasm for their work. The first having no enthusiasm while the last one was really excited to contribute to God and the greater good. The question was how we all could become as enthusiastic and motivated as this last person.

I don’t have the need to work for God – or the shareholders if you wish. I do want to contribute to the greater good of the company but most of all I like to do a good job for myself and know that I’ve done a great job. But in the end, doing a good job and contributing to the greater good are basically the same. And in the end this will benefit the shareholders.

In the work situation there are always many things that are not going well and we all are very good in complaining about it. You run the risk that you only see the problems and forget the good things that happen.

It reminds me of my son. He is a good football player but currently plays in a team that is under performing – they are on the bottom of the ladder. The team has played some nice football and managed to score enough goals but unfortunately they managed to concede even more. I noticed that my son's performance was not anymore as it was in the beginning of the season. He was obviously getting a bit down of losing each game while putting so much effort in – and as it happened – having to compensate for the weaknesses. The result was that over time he was putting less effort in. Why bother if you are going to lose the game anyway?

So I sat down with him and tried to explain to him that the joy must come from within himself. Regardless of the total outcome, he needed to look at his own performance and if this was good, he should be proud and enjoy what went well. I showed to him (I make the odd video here and there) how he was able to perform better in the past. I knew he had a switch to simply step up.

The next game he had an outstanding game and scored two beautiful goals despite the team losing the game. His coaches and many of the parents complimented him on his performance. On the way home I asked him whether he had enjoyed the game more. Though still disappointed with the loss, the answer was clearly confirmatory.

It is important to celebrate the successes that you have and this celebration can be as simple as positive feedback. By looking at your successes in the past, you can motivate yourself and set yourself and the company up for success.

The PMO manager had another blog post about priming. You can prime yourself for success or failure. My son put in his mind the picture of how he can do well. And he did. At work, it is not much different.

But will others pick up from your motivation? Probably. My son played an excellent game again a week later but I noticed that the striker he pairs up with, worked also extremely hard and I was impressed with his game as well.

The management secrets of Barcelona Football Club - by Schumpeter (from the Economist)

Barça’s management style chimes in with the thinking of two admired theorists. Boris Groysberg, of Harvard Business School, has warned that companies are too obsessed with hiring stars rather than developing teams.

Basically I suggest to read this article in the Economist by Schumpter and additionally Great People Are Overrated by Bill Taylor on then Harvard Business Review website.

 

 

If you do what is being told then there is no problem at all

Solving problems can sometimes be so incredible easy. Just follow the recommendations of El Salvador (J.C.):

It is a matter of seeing what goes wrong;
point out what needs to happen;
execute what has been pointed out.
All that is not that difficult.
If you do what is being told, then there is no problem at all.

Original text in Dutch:
Het is kwestie van zien wat er fout gaat;
aanwijzen wat er moet gebeuren;
de aanwijzingen uitvoeren.
Dat is niet zo verschrikkelijk moeilijk.
Als je doet wat er gezegd wordt, dan is dat geen enkel probleem.

This was Johan's response following some discussions due to the dramatic loss of Ajax FC to Real Madrid on  15 September 2010. It wasn't about the number goals being scored (only 2) but the way Ajax lost.

Wisdom doesn't come much easier!

We can make a joke of this, but we should not forget that Johan Cruyff still has a long standing relationship with Barcelona and that was basically the team that won the World Cup. And given that the Netherlands does seem to have quality players (they were runners up at the World Cup) it is surprising that the Dutch teams are performing so badly on the international stage. Something must be wrong and if no one else has been able to solve it, why not have a bit of faith in J.C?

In other words, if you have been laboring to get improvement and the improvement is not there, why not give that odd view of your colleague or consultant that goes against your own insights a try?

What we can learn from football, #2

With the World Cup finished, I'd like bring a few more aspects from football to the fore that we can use for general learning.

In a winning team, members are willing to work with and for each other (France)

I think that this World Cup showed as no other that when you have players arguing amongst each other and fighting with the coach, you won't go far. France, 4 years ago second, was the most extreme example with a shocking display of football and arguments and fights in the camp (I won't list any examples to keep this post short). But also England's team had issues (e.g  John Terry versus Capello).

In contrast to those teams, you would never hear or read anything about issues in the Spanish camp. Fernando Torres was happy to declare that this year was David Villa's year even though David Villa took his position in the squad. 

Though there were some issues in the media in the Dutch team, immediately other players were there to defend the player that might have made a questionable remark. Even players that were on the bench and would compete with the respective player for the same spot came to rescue (e.g. Babel defended Van Persie). Players were helping each other out.

So what does this mean for our normal day to day work? Basically exactly the same. If you want to achieve results, you need to work with others and be willing to help others out. You should be able let others shine, while you might not get the attention you think you deserve. It depends on what you want to put on your resume: "I was the foreman of the project, but the project was chaotic and failed" or "I was a driving force behind the scenes of this successful project".

In a winning team, the leader focuses on team coherence (Netherlands)

Though I haven't followed or heard much about Spain in the media, I think the absence of these issues show that the coach, Vincent del Bosque, had good control over the team. The Dutch coach, Bert van Marwijk, displayed very well how to bring unity into the team. As soon as something popped up, he got the players together resolved the issue and assured that players left happily together. Besides this, he assured that information in the media was corrected as quickly as possible.

For managers in the corporate world it means that you should not let any tension between staff fester. Address it immediately and make sure issues get resolved. It also means much focus on who you select in your team and if players are known, who you combine in teams. Make sure that you control the information that leaks out to other teams and your business. Otherwise the gossip might light the issue up again.

Have a balanced team; don't sacrifice defenders or midfielders for strikers (Argentina)

Already at the start of the tournament, there was criticism about the balance in relation to the type of players in the Argentinian team. Maradonna used basically strikers and the team lacked a proper midfield. Also the construction of the defense lacked a good balance. Against weaker opposition, the striking power showed flair and achieved good results. However as soon they came under pressure, the weakness was displayed resulting in a 4-0 loss against Germany.

I could mention England here as well. The Lampard - Gerard combination just does not work; it simply gets the team off balance. (If you allow me a bit of a diversion ... Against Germany I felt clearly that Gerard was lost. He played left winger but constantly moved inside, but whatever he did, did not work. The situation with the Netherlands when having Van der Vaart on the left with Sneijder in the center is similar, except that the Netherlands strength is the quick short passing game while Gerard needs more space, long passes, big runs and big shots. It worked for the Dutch and obviously not for England.)

What does this mean in a normal work situation? Well basically do not try to attack too many new issues, kick off new projects or expand scope of services at the same time, unless you have your house in order and have it adjusted so it can deal with the pressure of the new work coming at you. If you don't, your weakness will be exposed and things will go wrong.

This means that if you take on a new project or expand the scope of your services, that you think carefully about your resourcing. Not only for the project but also for support once the project is completed. If you want to change roles of staff, think of the consequences and that work assignments are clearly articulated and land in appropriate places. Assure that you maintain a well balanced team.

Pass the ball, run into free spaces (Spain)
This World Cup was finally the proof again that total football, this time adjusted by the Spanish (aka Barcalona) team, is the right way to play the game. The Dutch did the same thing, but then sobered up a bit (and lost it in the final). But both teams made it into the final. Those who followed Barcalona knew what Spain was able to do. You can't discount the Brazilians, the Germans or the Italians at a World Cup. Argentina could not be discounted either, but with all the signs before the start of the tournament, I felt that Spain would go all the way. And they did.
Optimal team work. It's all about the players who don't have the ball. They need to run into free places and keep moving around. This gives opportunities for the player withe ball to give the pass. As soon as you stop moving around, you will be marked and the only option the player withe ball has then is to give the long pass forward. It is also constantly thinking one, two steps ahead. It is chess on the football field. Sounds easy, but it also requires incredible technical skills. Once touch football and pass in the feet of your team mates. First touch must be perfect, don't let it bounce too far off your feet.
The Spanish game has the risk that you have the opponent sit back around their goal and run the risk you won't get a chance to score. But trust in your ability and trust that in the end you'll get the goal will get you the trophy.
Plan your work. Look ahead. Check with colleagues what work is coming to you. Communicate and look around, see what needs to be done. Finish your work on time and as promised so others don't have to wait and the team does not lose momentum.

Trust yourself, play your own game, work towards your own strength (Netherlands, Brazil, Australia)

Brazil was criticized for their defense game and lack of traditional Brazilian flair. The end result was that they suffered a loss against the Netherlands. 

The Netherlands in turn played consistently throughout the tournament and continued their style of play from the qualifying matches. However in the final, they did not trust their own game as they've done so far. Where they displayed a ball-possession-game and passing-game against teams such as Japan much similar as Spain, in the final they resorted to long balls forward. Some edginess resulted also in a physical game with many yellow cards. As a Dutchman I am proud of their fantastic result, but disappointed with the game in the final. I'd rather had that they lost playing their own game (but preferred the win, even if it would be through penalties - bloody Spaniards why did they keep us in suspense till almost the last minute?). Though there might be a football law that says that it is difficult to obtain possession once Spain has it, there is no law that says that you can't do the same to them. Keep possession, play the ball around, put them under pressure, build your own confidence and avoid the yellow cards (let them get the yellow cards just as Brazil did).

Australia made the same mistake already in their first match against Germany. Though I doubt that the result would have been different, the team did not start with their traditional hard working attacking game, even though under Pim Verbeek this was much done through a defensive style. Instead they tried to sit back. Though in points Australia achieved the same as 4 years ago, the 4 goals netted by the Germans worked against them. It was good to see that Australia played their own way again in the remaining two matches and demonstrated the real Aussie fighting spirit.

(And though nothing to do with the subject of this blog and probably completely not of interest to people outside our region, I just like to express my respect for New Zealand and Ricki Herbert for their unbeaten track record at this World Cup. As neighbours we must be proud of the result of our A-leage participants.)

In our working environment we need to look at our strengths. Though we might not always have the best players, you can look at those things that have worked well over the years. It is always to see if you need to replace players or change positions but you need to look what it does to the team dynamics. Before you make changes, ask yourself whether your tried to get the maximum out of the team. Did you use staff according to their strengths?

It also means that there always different styles and approaches. There might be an ideal way of playing (Spain, Netherlands except the final), but you need to have the players for it.

Don't put your hopes on a single player to shoot you into the final (England)
England thought that by putting Wayne Rooney in the central striker position, they could make it to the final. They made that same mistake in 2006. Having a balanced team is not just about getting a bunch of players and filling the positions. Wayne was probably one of the most absent players of this World Cup. Hidden somewhere between a bunch of defenders. The problem here is that the type of play that England played is different than that of Manchester United where he rose to fame. I think that the way England played, Peter Crouch would have been more valuable. Cross from the wing, tall guy heading it in. Wayne needs a more fast moving game play with more space and where players quickly can move position.
In our work we too often also forget to look what skills are really required. It is not just drawing a box as vacancy and subsequently just putting a name in it. You need to look what skill set is required. For example, you introduce a new system. You need then people to support that new system, so you assign your Microsoft .NET developer to take care of that. But you forget that the system comes with a new database. Do you have the right DBA? And is the system really all about .NET development? No, you need a system administrator who does all this technical configuration work. Remember you implemented a new system (e.g. did not develop it from scratch). All sounds obvious, but it is often difficult to explain to business managers and senior managers that this nice system they like to have means a significant increase in staffing level and associated costs. Suddenly their business case does not look that good anymore. On paper it is easy to move the name of the .NET developer into the system administrator box. But does this person want to do this? Is the type of work really a strength of the person? And does this person possess the right skills to do the job?

What we can learn from football

There is much we can learn from football in relation to management and team work. If you can read Dutch, you can learn much in that sense from the book by a former Dutch minister, Peter Winsemius. He who wrote a book about leadership within a business context based upon the wisdom of the football master and oracle Johan Cruijff. In this blog, I'll give my own view on how we can learn from football.

Besides his football successes, Johan is famous for his convoluted sayings such as “You’ll only see it once you understand it”. In Dutch “Je gaat het pas zien als je het doorhebt” (which is the title of the book that I refer to). Another famous saying of Cruijff was: “Italians can’t win from you, but you can lose from them”. In this year’s World Cup, I think the Italians lost from themselves, but let’s put that to the side.

Johan and Dutch football became famous for Total Football, a term basically not used within the Netherlands itself. But it’s a basic concept of how to play the game that I learned in my youth as well. It basically means that if you have the standard position play of 3-3-4 and that if someone leaves his position (creative action or emergency assistance), that someone else will need to take his place (help each other out; maintain the construction).

It is similar as to a sliding puzzle where you move a piece into a vacant place. Total Football (or Catenaccio for that matter) is understanding the need to maintain a consistent construction but allowing creativity through team members moving away from their position while someone else will follow up by filling the gap.

In an effective team in a work situation this happens as well. Key to this, is first of all that there are clear roles defined and that the roles together form a coherent system. In addition to this it means that everyone should understand which roles there are in the team and also have the ability to play another role. This all forms part of the design of the team. In work situations, too often roles are not clearly defined or people don’t exactly know what the roles of others are. It is even more difficult to assure that there is redundancy in skills. Sometimes there are a few very specialist roles where you really rely on the individual with his specific knowledge. It is then important that everyone understands this and plans accordingly. It is too easy to plan your project in which you rely only for a small task on this specialist who normally performs his task promptly, almost in stealth. But if you forget to ascertain his availability at crucial times, your plan will fall apart.

But this is not enough as we saw this year with the French team. It also means that you need to help each other out and are willing to do so, even if it means doing something that is not part of your job description. An example is what we did in our team where we say that “everyone forms part of the service desk (help desk)”, meaning that if a customer comes with a request you don’t send them away with “I don’t know” or “not my job” but take the issue and ascertain it lands on the desk of the right person.

A good football team consists of some hard workers and some creative players. If everyone is the strategist or creative soloist, then nothing would come out of it. You have the creative dribblers such as Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Arjen Robben. However if they only keep going solo, then you’ll end up in a situation that they will just lose the ball all the time. Other team members will get frustrated and will stop running as soon as the soloist receives the ball. Passing the ball and being happy for others to score goals is important for team success and to keep the opponent guessing about what you will do next.

The creative dribbler can only be successful if there are other team members who are willing to assist, similar as in the cycling sport. Though the Tour de France in theory is about which individual makes his round through the country in the least amount of time, there are teams with front men and cyclist who are there to help the front man to win the race. These assistants are the guys who will waste their energy by picking up food and drinks or will do the hard work at the front of a group and sacrificing their own chance to win the race. Not everyone can be a Special One.

In a good team, you give credit to those who did the hard yards or came up with the original idea. You need to avoid always getting in the lime light yourself even if you are the team leader. Too often people and managers are obsessed with their own status and power play and forget their team. Ruud Gullit, captain of the winning Dutch team of the European Cup in 1988, said that team members were willing to make sacrifices, not only for the team but also for others. Great success comes with great sacrifices. And there is no sacrifice more difficult to make than to stand aside for someone else to shine.

I like to end this post with one of Johan’s sayings “Football is simple: you are either on time or too late. If you are too late, you should leave earlier”. Translated to a business context: “Plan your work”. And finally one for the current Dutch team who in German style have achieved much possession time in the group stages: “If we have the ball, they can’t score”.