The Art Of Leading Elite Talent
There is an art to leading elite talent. Not everyone can do it. With elite talent, you can’t just “roll the ball out there”. Elite talent push back. They challenge the process. Elite talent doesn’t suffer fools lightly. At that level, talent wants to maximize their potential. After all, their legacies are at stake.
Bottom line – a 10-level talent will not follow a 6-level leader.
Lionel Messi
I recently finished Simon Kuper’s classic new book The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making – and Unmaking of the World’s Greatest Soccer Club. There were two things I wanted to learn when purchasing this book – first, what are the qualities that make Messi a superstar? Second, how do you lead someone of Messi’s talent?
Kuper did not disappoint. His findings are important insights for you as a leader. If you don’t grasp these concepts, you will not be able to master the art of leading elite talent. For a quick reminder of Messi’s greatness, check out the video below:
27 Things To Know About The Art Of Leading Elite Talent Like Lionel Messi
The following are 27 Things To Know About The Art Of Leading Elite Talent Like Lionel Messi I gleaned from the book. Make sure you pick up your copy TODAY by clicking HERE or on the image provided.
- Messi starts games slow, surveying the field and storing his observations. He then takes advantage of his “creative memory.”
- The entire workplace and organization is shaped around him.
- Nobody at Barcelona tells Messi what to do.
- Messi was very disciplined as a young player because he had been a professional since adolescence.
- As a young player, Messi was “consistent, concentrated, doesn’t waste the ball, always an intelligent pass, more mature than the older kids around him.”
- Most young players succumbed to the trappings and dangers of success. Fortunately, Messi was introverted, lived with his family, and did not have an entourage.
- Athletic geniuses have almost too many choices while playing. Think of a golfer who can play with any club in his bag. Messi was so gifted and handling the ball he had to learn to manage his genius. Limited players do not have “the problem of choice.”
- Messi was a continual learner. His desire was to be a winner, not a soloist.
- In his first four years on Barca’s top team, he scored 42 goals. In his next four years, he scored 211 goals and became the best player in the world.
- The team’s priority was “to keep Messi smiling.”
- Barcelona was willing to sacrifice any player or coach to keep Messi happy.
- Clean living (better eating, sleep, etc…) allowed Messi to become injury-free as a player.
- Great players want power and responsibility.
- Great players view championships as “completed tasks, a duty done.” Winning is almost a relief.
- You have to make Messi feel he needs the team. This makes it hard for him to leave.
- Messi spoke into personnel decisions.
- Messi doesn’t need to speak. His body language says it all.
- Messi has to be a bit of a dictator because it is his prestige and legacy at stake.
- Quality trumps everything. The best player rules.
- Having Christiano Rinaldo as a rival gave Messi maximum motivation. Rinaldo made him better. Elite talent needs a rival.
- Messi spent his career playing with world-class teammates.
- “Creativity is a property more of groups than individuals.”
- “Brilliance on demand can become strangely boring.”
- “Every study of Leo shows he runs the least, he sprints the least, he participates the least in the game.” But he also produces the most.
- Barcelona must work to keep him interested.
- His favorite destination is the most valuable space on the field. He edits out the non-essentials.
- He made coaching Barcelona easy. No coach was sacked from 2005 to 2019.
After reading this list, do you as a leader have the skills to lead someone with elite talent? Once again, to purchase The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making – and Unmaking of the World’s Greatest Soccer Club click HERE.
The Top 60 Leadership Quotes From 2021 Part 1 is my latest ebook. For many entering a post-pandemic environment, leadership looks completely different than the pre-pandemic world. People are more broken now. They are more uncertain. Fear and anxiousness are unwelcome constant companions. Cultures are more unhealthy. Relationships are more dysfunctional. Hope seems to be in short supply. Every day seems to bring a new hacking, natural disaster, or unexpected calamity.
Therefore, the fundamentals of leadership are more important than ever. The quotes in this book deal with the basics of leadership. If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource. The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.