Transformational Leadership
After a month of competition and drama, European Champions Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the first time.
Amid joyous scenes at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday night, their victory was a triumph for quality and expression as well as reward for investment in people, process, leadership and philosophy.
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal ensured that the best team in the world became World Champions, after overcoming a brutal Dutch team in the Final. However, the irony of Spain’s victory is that the architect of the footballing philosophy which has transformed Spanish football is Johan Cruyff, the legendary Holland footballer. Cruyff introduced ‘Total Football’ to Spain after years of gracing the game in Holland.
The ‘Total Football’ philosophy has its origins in Amsterdam, at the Ajax club, where visionary coach Rinus Michels introduced his ideas on how the game could be played differently and better than before. It involved players playing in a variety of positions during their developmental phase to enable them to evolve into more complete ‘all-round’ players who could inter-change position easily once they reached maturity. Chief among those receiving the wisdom, and charged with turning it into a wonderful reality in performance, was Rinus Michels’ star pupil Johan Cruyff.
Quality leadership is the key to transformation. Visionary leaders, who have the courage of their convictions, are able to inspire a critical mass of people to believe in their compelling vision. In time, the results of the transformation begin to speak for themselves, and an even bigger shift occurs which influences even more people to believe in ‘the new way’.
Rinus Michels built an awesome club side at Ajax of Amsterdam on ‘Total Football’, which enjoyed European, as well as Dutch domestic success. In the process, he was able to feed the Dutch national side with a team of quality players, and a style of play, that was the envy of other nations. Michels then went on to manage the Dutch national side and harvested the fruits of his early work at Ajax, on the world stage.
Brazil have enjoyed ‘world-class’ status since their 1958 World Cup win in Sweden, and created a dynasty that led them to becoming the undisputed top footballing nation. With 5 World Cup wins, and individual players of brilliance, who achieved iconic status worldwide, their record of achievement is far superior to Holland’s impact on the world stage. However, Spain’s success on Sunday (with 7 players raised together in Barcelona’s Academy) and Barcelona’s ongoing success has been influenced by Cruyff, both as a player and coach, and has ensured that Michels’ ‘Total Football’ philosophy has lived on, such is its’ power and influence. The irony is that it should have contributed towards Spain defeating the Dutch in a World Cup Final forty years later.
In The Daily Telegraph on 29.06.10., Argentinian 1978 World Cup Winner, (and Tottenham Hotspur Legend) Ossie Ardiles spoke about how the change in philosophy, and style of play were down to the leadership of Cesar Menotti, the Argentina National Manager, who transformed a nation’s football to become world champions who were celebrated for their quality, style, individuality, and teamwork.
‘‘The ground rules for the new identity was set by the Menotti revolution. Before him, Argentina were physical, had players sent off, went to the floor, dabbled in nonsense. We used to play football like it was war, not a dance with the leather ball’’, Ardiles said.
Where would the world be without visionary people?
It is sad that too often, they are rarely appreciated when they are planting their seeds and ploughing their furrow. Meanwhile, others reap their rich harvest for years to come. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if such people were celebrated and appreciated during their working lives, or at the very least, during their lifetime?
Great leaders and great coaches transform people, teams, companies and countries.
Developing a sound philosophy (and staying committed to it) drives the transformational process, and its impact empowers others to be part of the journey. Top sport is in need of more visionary leaders in these economically challenging and difficult times where, in many instances, values are being compromised in the pursuit of short-term success.
Which leader (and which nation) will be the next great transformational story in sport?
