Iceland tied Argentina in a World cCup soccer game last week. It was a David and Goliath match. A tiny nation home to only 300,000 people against a country over 100 times as large.
On paper, Iceland didn't stand a chance against the much more experienced, highly professional Argentina led by one of the best soccer players of all time, Lionel Messi. Argentina was expected to win by 2.5 goals and the odds were 10-1 against Iceland, the world's smallest country to win. However, when the 90 minutes was finished both teams were tied 1-1 and Argentinians around the world were devastated.
So why was Iceland, despite such great odds able to humble Argentina?
1. Iceland had a strategy. Thinking the same as everyone else will get you the same results as everyone else. Iceland had a different strategy to play against the powerhouse teams with incredible offence. Iceland's strategy was to play a zone defence like the world had never seen before. When Messi beat two or three of Iceland's players there was a wall of three more standing side by side ready to defend. Many times in business we go up against competitors who have more talent, more money and a stronger brand than we do, however rarely do we have strategies that can humble our opponents.
2. Iceland played as a team. Does your organization play as a team or are there individuals who think it's all about them? When we fail to play together for a common goal we lose the potential of the whole unit. Patrick Lencioni author of the book The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team states, "If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time." Iceland definitely didn't dominate Argentina however they did equal them.
3. Iceland had the right people in the right places and replaced players who weren't contributing. How many times do companies fail to replace employees that aren't doing their job? Often we think that if we ignore the problem the people will quit or the problem will get better over time. This doesn't happen! When we deal with the issue early we get back on track and reduce team stress caused by members who need a break.
4. Iceland was well prepared. When was the last time your team had specific training to do their job better? So often we think that our teams are "good enough" but we fail to consider that our competition is receiving superior training that will beat us in the long run. In our complacency, we believe that because our organization has some great members we will continue to succeed as in the past, using the same plays,the same technology, and the same systems. Inevitably, we are setting our company up for failure. Constant rejuvenation of our employees allows us to thrive in an ever-changing environment.
5. Focused on winning. Iceland only controlled the ball for approximately 30 per cent of the game, yet when they had a chance to shoot the ball they did. Iceland was playing to win. If there was no chance to shoot and Argentina was controlling the ball, the forwards were springing back to get into position for their defensive play. Are your staff focused on winning? Do they do their job and then move quickly to their next station or do they get distracted chasing loose balls?
6. Iceland has a coach who knows that each game is an opportunity to improve. Heimir Hallgrimsson, the coach of the Icelandic team, is quoted as saying that his team is on a continuous journey and their success is not made or limited by one game or one tournament. Is your organization on a journey, using each challenge as an opportunity to improve? Do you have a coach with a long term vision?
Dave Fuller MBA, was a mediocre soccer player, but is an award-winning business coach and strategist and the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. Need help with your game strategy email dave@profityourselfhealthy.com
