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Job lessons from World Cup
Published: Sunday | July 11, 2010
Glenford Smith, Career Writer
American sports journalist Howard Cosell once noted that sports is human life in microcosm.
If this is true - and I believe it is - then some of life's greatest lessons must be found in what many call 'the greatest show on Earth', the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup.
In watching and enjoying the world's best exponents of 'the beautiful game', however, it is easy to be swept along in the euphoric tide of World Cup frenzy and miss the many essential lessons that can empower our personal, business and career success.
Here are three from South Africa.
IT'S ALL ABOUT GOALS
'Goals win matches' is a football cliché. It's also true of life.
After 25 years of study and experience, Brian Tracy, bestselling author of Maximum Achievement, concluded: "Success equals goals and all else is commentary."
He describes most people as "wandering generalities rather than meaningful specifics". They have no short-, medium- or long-term goals for their lives and careers.
We all need goals. It has been said that we can't hit a target we can't see, so having clearly defined goals is critical. How much money do you want to make, and by when? What position do you aspire to in the company? Where do you want to be in your field five years from now?
Are your goals written down? If not, they are mere whimsical wishes.
Become a S.M.A.R.T. goal setter — be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Goals give power to vision.
SUCCESS REQUIRES TEAMWORK
A commanding 3-2 semi-final performance against Uruguay put pre-tournament underdogs Netherlands in today's World Cup Finals.
Few soccer pundits considered them able to accomplish this feat, what with hot favourites like Argentina, Brazil, Germany and France being touted as likely finalists.
The favoured squads all had star players who were expected to shine, and some did. However, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk, in his post-match interview identified the differentiating factor in his team's success.
"I love attacking football, but you have to work together ... and then you can go a long way," he said.
Similarly, you may be a brilliant individual technically, but without the ability to work well with others your success will be limited, as will your company's. The acronym T.E.A.M. says it best: Together Everyone Achieves More.
RESILIENCE IS VITAL
You can be bright, ambitious and hard-working. You may have even attained a high level of success. Without resilience - the ability to bounce back from adversity - however, you are vulnerable.
Here's why: adversity is inevitable. Without the capacity to weather life's inescapable problems, crises and obstacles, your prospects for success will eventually suffer.
Brazil, comfortable with their quarter-final 10th-minute Robinho 1-0 lead, simply couldn't bounce back from Netherland's 1-1 equaliser, and then 2-1 lead. Similarly, Argentina, with all its vaunted pedigree, lacked the resilience to bounce back from Germany's 4-0 onslaught. The ignominy of the South Americans' demise proves how dangerous lacking resilience can be.
Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and personal achievement strategist. glenfordsmith@yahoo.com.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ews/news5.html
Published: Sunday | July 11, 2010
Glenford Smith, Career Writer
American sports journalist Howard Cosell once noted that sports is human life in microcosm.
If this is true - and I believe it is - then some of life's greatest lessons must be found in what many call 'the greatest show on Earth', the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup.
In watching and enjoying the world's best exponents of 'the beautiful game', however, it is easy to be swept along in the euphoric tide of World Cup frenzy and miss the many essential lessons that can empower our personal, business and career success.
Here are three from South Africa.
IT'S ALL ABOUT GOALS
'Goals win matches' is a football cliché. It's also true of life.
After 25 years of study and experience, Brian Tracy, bestselling author of Maximum Achievement, concluded: "Success equals goals and all else is commentary."
He describes most people as "wandering generalities rather than meaningful specifics". They have no short-, medium- or long-term goals for their lives and careers.
We all need goals. It has been said that we can't hit a target we can't see, so having clearly defined goals is critical. How much money do you want to make, and by when? What position do you aspire to in the company? Where do you want to be in your field five years from now?
Are your goals written down? If not, they are mere whimsical wishes.
Become a S.M.A.R.T. goal setter — be specific, measureable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Goals give power to vision.
SUCCESS REQUIRES TEAMWORK
A commanding 3-2 semi-final performance against Uruguay put pre-tournament underdogs Netherlands in today's World Cup Finals.
Few soccer pundits considered them able to accomplish this feat, what with hot favourites like Argentina, Brazil, Germany and France being touted as likely finalists.
The favoured squads all had star players who were expected to shine, and some did. However, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk, in his post-match interview identified the differentiating factor in his team's success.
"I love attacking football, but you have to work together ... and then you can go a long way," he said.
Similarly, you may be a brilliant individual technically, but without the ability to work well with others your success will be limited, as will your company's. The acronym T.E.A.M. says it best: Together Everyone Achieves More.
RESILIENCE IS VITAL
You can be bright, ambitious and hard-working. You may have even attained a high level of success. Without resilience - the ability to bounce back from adversity - however, you are vulnerable.
Here's why: adversity is inevitable. Without the capacity to weather life's inescapable problems, crises and obstacles, your prospects for success will eventually suffer.
Brazil, comfortable with their quarter-final 10th-minute Robinho 1-0 lead, simply couldn't bounce back from Netherland's 1-1 equaliser, and then 2-1 lead. Similarly, Argentina, with all its vaunted pedigree, lacked the resilience to bounce back from Germany's 4-0 onslaught. The ignominy of the South Americans' demise proves how dangerous lacking resilience can be.
Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and personal achievement strategist. glenfordsmith@yahoo.com.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ews/news5.html