On Wednesday, November 23rd Japan defeated Germany by a score of 2-1 in the World Cup. What was most extraordinary was not Japan’s performance on the field, but their performance as athletes and fans afterwards.
On public display was Japan’s post-game behavior by its fans. Pictured below are their pleasantly shocking actions. A group of Japanese fans didn’t riot. They didn’t vandalize buildings or set police cars on fire. The city was not trashed. The Japanese fans brought trash bags and cleaned up the stadium afterwards!!! Shocking!!!!
Even after a famous win at the World Cup, Japan fans stayed behind to clean up ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BJnGEQWs6s
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 23, 2022
This was not isolated just to the Japanese fans. Check out the team’s locker room after their victory. Their players spotlessly cleaned their locker room. Once again, shocking!!! It is if they robbed Germany of their dignity on the field and then cleaned the crime scene afterwards.
昨日のドイツとの試合後の日本チームのロッカー ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HLn5MEnClA
— FIFAワールドカップ 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup_JP) November 24, 2022
I have never seen anything like this. In fact, how many people reading this post recently made comments about family members who didn’t help clear the table or wash the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner??!!
These are 7 leadership lessons I learn from this “pleasantly shocking” behavior by the Japanese fans and their team:
Culture Of Excellence
Seth Godin has taught that culture can be summed up in eleven words – This is who we are and this is what we do. You don’t stumble into the type of behavior shown by the Japanese fans and team. It requires intentionality. It requires planning. It requires expectation and accountability. Most importantly, it requires an attitude that says, “This is who Japanese fans and players are and this is what we do. We are people of class, dignity, excellence, precision, and leave things better than we found it.”
Lack Of Entitlement
Why should we expect people to do something we can do ourselves? After all, it is my locker, my seat, my dirty clothes, and my garbage when I attend a sporting event. We are grown people. How hard is it to clean up after ourselves? Who are we to expect someone else to clean up after us? We should have dealt with that issue in elementary school.
Attention To Detail
How you do anything is how you do everything. The way my seat looks, the way I fold my clothes, the organization of my workspace, and my general appearance are all reflective of the value I place on “little things.” For more on the importance of making a big deal out of little things, read 8 Facts about How Coaching Helps even the Best Leaders Get Better and have Long-Term Success.
High Character And Conduct
My ultimate public success will be determined by my private character and conduct. No one ever expected these pictures to go viral. The fans and players cleaned up after the match because it was the right thing to do. It is who they are and what they did. These were the little things done in private which eventually led to public acclaim.
Serving Others
We are citizens of the world. The fans and players cleaned their areas for many reasons but one was because they wanted to make it easier on the stadium personnel who would be coming in after them. Cleaning stadiums and locker rooms is incredibly hard work and the Japanese fans and team made the jobs of the stadium personnel a little easier by placing their needs ahead of their own. Be a good citizen.
A Healthy Sense Of Pride
What these pictures should teach everyone is just leave places better than you found them. Have enough pride to do that. Leave a positive mark in the world. Be the type of person and team that when someone follows you they are overwhelmed by your goodness and generosity.
Some Things Require No Talent
Whether this Japanese team is one of the best soccer clubs in the world will soon be determined. But regardless of someone’s level of talent or whether they win or lose, they can still do the right thing. It does not require talent to be kind and caring. Anyone, regardless of their level of talent, can serve someone else and make their life better.
May we all be leaders who create a culture of excellence where there is no entitlement and high-character people sacrificially care for others and make their lives better. May we all be like the Japanese fans and their soccer club.
My latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!