It doesn’t matter whether you follow football or not. If you just read the newspapers, you know what I’m talking about. No one in their wildest dreams could have predicted that a team which barely survived relegation last season and having no star players could emerge as the newly crowned Premier League Champions. Yes, we are talking about Leicester City, the perfect examples of underdogs. But wait, this is not a sports blog so why are we discussing the triumph of a football team over here? The answer is pretty simple. Sports teach us the most valuable lessons of life and this historic win actually has a lot more to offer to budding entrepreneurs.
Hard work is irreplacable
There’s no substitute to hard work. Nothing could be more apparent than the historic triumph of Leicester. They secured fourteen 1-0 victories on course their victory. It speaks of the amount of hard work the entire team had to put in so that despite having a single goal advantage, they turned out victorious. The same needs to be applied to a startup. You may not be having the ball in your court most of the times, but you should always be ready to work hard to achieve your targets. Whether it’s a football field or a startup, hard work paves the way to success.
Persevere and you are already a winner
Another stat about the newly crowned BPL champion – “They had an average possession of 43% through the season”. It keeps them at 18th position on the ball possession list. And yet they managed to win most of their matches. They achieved it through sheer perseverance. You can also achieve your targets if you are ready to persevere. Things will not always be rosy for you. But if you are ready to work tirelessly towards achieving your goal, sooner or later you are going to get there. It’s just a matter of grinding through that rough phase with self-belief.
Also Read: Entrepreneurship lessons to learn from “The Wall” -Rahul Dravid
Take full advantage of your opportunities
Leicester is a team that relies heavily on making the most of any opportunity that arises. Their main striker, Jamie Vardy, scored at almost every opportunity that presented itself. Entrepreneurship is just the same. If you want to be successful, you have to make the maximum out of any opportunity that presents itself. Getting a meeting set up with a potential investor is a tough job but not making the most out of the meeting is even worse.
Hire carefully and wisely like Leicester
Being a startup, it is difficult to be very selective about the people you hire. But there lies the catch. If you want your startup to be a big success, you need to very selective about the people you employ. Let’s look at Leicester’s case. Their entire squad is worth just $80 million which is way less than the other top teams. Just for instance, Manchester City spent $84 million on just a single player, Kevin de Bruyne. Leicester made smart buys. They didn’t run after the star players. Instead they scouted for talents like Riyad Mahrez who were available for a bargain and fitted in with the team they wanted to build.
Have a good backroom staff
One of the other reasons behind Leicester winning the league is their extra ordinary backroom staff. The players almost enjoyed an injury free season despite working the hardest on the pitch. The credit of this goes to the medical staff at the club. They monitored every aspect of a player’s health and kept them fit enough to play week after week. While a medical staff is not needed in a startup, but having people in the background who are working day and night so that people at the top are able to function properly is a must for any company to be successful. You don’t want your publicity manager to be drawing posters and making other materials when he should be promoting your startup.
Claudio Ranieri teaches us to be jovial
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is a very funny man and is never shy to crack a joke even at himself. He always faced the media with a big smile and was well spoken. The players loved his sense of humor and that in turn led them to respect him. He gifted a bell to everyone as a Christmas present in connection to his famous Dilly Dilly Dong Dong. It also built a spirit of unity among the team. Being in a high position in any business, it definitely helps if you have a jovial character. Your comments lift the mood of the entire staff and you earn their respect as well as confidence. People are likely to work better in a light hearted environment than in a serious one.
In the end, one should never forget the most valuable lesson – anything is possible. However improbable it may seem in the beginning, you can achieve it. While the people of Leicester bask in the glory of their club’s success, this fairy tale triumph should inspire everyone among us to believe that Nothing is impossible.
