A Sobering Statement
On Sunday, England begins the knockout stage of the Euro 2024 Tournament against Slovakia. Heading into the competition, their manager Gareth Southgate said in this interview, “If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here anymore. Then it might be the last chance. I think about half of the national coaches leave after a tournament – that’s the nature of international football. I’ve been here for almost eight years now and we’ve come close. So I know that you can’t keep standing in front of the public and saying: ‘Please do a little more’, because at some point people will lose faith in your message. If we want to be a big team and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments.”
4 Harsh Realities for Leaders
From Southgate’s comments, we learn the following four harsh realities for leaders. First is the lesson followed by his supporting comments.
- Leaders who don’t produce positive results are eventually replaced. – “If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here anymore. Then it might be the last chance.”
- All leadership is temporary. Eventually all of us will be replaced and someone else will be sitting in our seat. – “I think about half of the national coaches leave after a tournament – that’s the nature of international football.” And every industry for that matter.
- People will only accept excuses for so long. – “I’ve been here for almost eight years now and we’ve come close. So I know that you can’t keep standing in front of the public and saying: ‘Please do a little more’, because at some point people will lose faith in your message.”
- What makes someone a big-time leader is delivering in big moments. – “If we want to be a big team and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments.”
I’m rooting for England but if they lose, Southgate will likely be removed as the team’s leader – just like the rest of us if we do not produce positive results.
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