Don’t dilute your culture: 3 lessons for success in soccer

Written by Casper Henningsen, CEO and Founder of GetWhy

People buy culture. Whether your company is a customer looking to buy technology, a potential employee looking for a new role, a venture capital looking to invest, or a business leader looking for a partnership, your company stands out above the rest. is a strong culture. This is just as important to the success of your business as the great ideas and innovative products you are developing.

A recent LinkedIn study found that company values ​​are becoming increasingly important to professionals around the world. In Europe, more than half (59%) of respondents said they would refuse to work for an organization that did not share their values. Therefore, no matter what stage of growth a company is in, preserving and enriching its culture should always be a priority. Founders and CEOs who delegate culture run the risk of diluting it or losing it altogether.

Of course, there is no point in defending culture if the foundation is poor to begin with.

As a former professional soccer player, I have spent my life being part of a team striving towards a common goal, building the foundations of the beautiful game. A strong culture of collaboration and driving strategy contributes to successful results. Here’s how I put what I learned into practice.

1. Know when to slow down.

During a soccer game, or soccer for our readers across the pond, you only have 90 minutes to decide the outcome, so giving your all is the order of the day. Conversely, in business, time constraints are usually not as short. There is room to slow down, take stock, and think strategically. It took me a while to learn this.

While it may be tempting to rush into things for growth, such as new hires, partnerships, and expansion initiatives, rushing forward without thinking can lead to false economics in the long run. there is. Instead, taking your time and going slow is probably the wisest investment you can make.

Understanding your team’s capabilities and bandwidth is important here. Pushing your employees too hard without considering their abilities will reduce productivity and lead to disaster. To avoid burnout, it’s important to accurately assess your team’s capabilities. This will give you clarity on whether your team can handle the increased demands or if you need further support, such as additional training or staff.

2. Know when to speed up.

Just as a football game is a time to give it your all, there are critical moments when business leaders need to galvanize their teams to achieve specific goals. This could be the months leading up to a funding round, the months leading up to closing a deal with a major brand, or the time when your competitors are overflowing. Business leaders need to know when to encourage their teams and when to criticize them. Coaching is a perfect balance of both.

Premier League club Liverpool’s football manager Jurgen Klopp is famous for the unique culture he creates, which drives his players to success. Enthusiasm is not so much a secret weapon for Klopp. Especially once the game begins, his approach is less about giving instructions and more about giving energy, which is a winning formula.

It’s easy to focus on the tactics of the game or the strategy of the business, but it’s this collective consciousness that underpins the culture, and leaders who ignore the feelings of their people are missing out. Connecting resources, strategy, and culture is what teams learn to develop common instincts that make them the ultimate IP that leads to winning games, funding rounds, or new hires.

3. Culture is the only superpower that matters.

With that in mind, the heart of any business is its people and the culture it creates. This is the foundation on which all future innovations will be built. Similarly, a successful soccer team is built around his 11 players working in sync on the pitch towards the same goal. Each team’s ability is determined by its weakest link.

While this is widely understood in the soccer world, it is often forgotten in the business world. Especially as teams grow, it’s easy for founders, CEOs, and other executives to lose touch with the mentality of their individual staff. Manager Klopp still meets players before signing them. Therefore, maintaining a competitive culture requires C-suite leaders to remain involved in hiring at every stage of the company’s growth.

The recent downfall of OpenAI’s Sam Altman shows how precious culture really is. The uproar surrounding his forced departure and subsequent return shows that companies are defined by their culture and cannot exist without it. A company may have the most brilliant technology and ideas, but without a united workforce and visionary leaders, that legacy can crumble. Business leaders and board members are ignoring culture at their own peril.

Moreover, in both business and football, culture is primarily influenced and shaped by the team’s collective struggles. It’s easy to feel complacent when things are going well, but it’s the darkest times that bring the team together. When people feel stressed and overwhelmed, they come together to support each other. These character-defining experiences influence culture long after the hardships subside.

After all, entrepreneurs and executives shouldn’t dilute the culture that has nurtured them. Like the best football coaches, they must never lose sight of their role in developing talent at every stage of a company’s growth, come rain or shine. To achieve this objective, we foster a culture of integrity and determination supported by strong leadership by encouraging transparent feedback. As any soccer coach can attest, success here depends on nurturing relationships.

That’s why when it comes to business, winners have the right balance of culture, pace, skills and drive. Direct engagement with employees and prospective employees across all business functions creates a culture of learning and fosters growth. Culture shines brightest in tough times, and when things get tough (as popularized by Billy Ocean), things get even tougher. That’s when it becomes clear what the culture is made of and when the foundations for victory are laid.