On 2 MAY 2016, Leicester City won the Premiership of the English Premier league( EPL) 2016. It was most unlikely title triumphs in football history. They had a 5000:1 chance. They had never won an EPL since the earliest recorded games in 1889! That’s in a 127 years.
Here’re some standout things that happened:
1. Buy the best players money can buy. And Leicester’s funding for all the player put together costed less than one player on some other team. In fact the cost of the most used starting XI players was GBP23M while the same for last years winner (Chelsea) was GBP 200M. So they really had to buy the best player for the limited budget. – Talent Acquisition is a big responsibility.
2. Imagine the finish line is beyond where it really is. This helps you over-prepare and finish strong.
3. Unyielding commitment. Winning players visualize the spectacle that they want the spectators to see of them winning-its very powerful. Coach Claudio Ranieri stated. “I told my players: ‘When you go on the pitch and you hear the song ‘Fire’ from Kasabian, that means they want warriors.’ I want to see them as warriors for the fans.”
4. The coach is a forward thinker and multiplier. “I don’t like to speak about what happened..lets focus on tomorrow” when being questioned about an adverse decision.
5. The coach as a multiplier (as opposed to a diminisher) acknowledges that the players are maxed out yet says “we’ll give each other a little more”.
6. Ranieri himself played to his strengths. At 64 he is a father figure and refers to all his players as his own sons. As a leader how does your team perceive your strengths to help them succeed? It’s about what’s in it for them.
7. Holistic wellness is more important then superiority in any one of 6 dimensions. Leicester even had a Thai Monk come bless them, thus boosting their self-confidence and spiritual well-being.
If you study other teams that did not make it to the premiership, the story would not look very different. That’s when you begin to realize that little things matter. Look to do it.
Best wishes to you and in your pursuit!
Gurunath Hari is the author of “The 6 Dimensions, Overcome Presenteeism: Excel in work and Life”. He has over 25 years of corporate experience, including leadership and management roles. His working life started at the end of the pre-computer era and continues to the present ‘everything-mobile’ era.
The kindle and hardcopy version of 6 Dimensions book is now available at Amazon!!
(Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author’s own)
#PEAKISM
