Professional football meets personnel development: What we can learn

We find clever implementation strategies in many areas of life that we can also use effectively in companies. Once again, we are turning to professional football. Anyone who follows us will have already realised that we are working on HR projects with Jonas Hammerschmidt, an experienced professional football coach, to develop new ideas for our modern HR management using perspectives from professional sport.

Managers are actually like football coaches, as we see them as coaches in company management: here are a few insights that we will integrate into our HR development strategy:

In professional football, the composition of the team is the basis for success. Each player has a specific role and brings their unique skills to the training and game. Many professional clubs make sure that each player has a "weapon", i.e. an outstanding ability that sets him apart from the others. The trick is to develop a common strategy that capitalises on the great strengths of each individual in order to win in all aspects of the game.

Just as a football coach takes into account the strengths and abilities of each player, companies must pay attention in personnel development to recognising individual skills and potential and integrating them optimally into the team. After all, it is not the individual players who win the game, but only the team as a whole. Jürgen Klopp once said: "It's not about finding the eleven best players, but the eleven with the highest probability of winning."

I have a vision for you

These words express that someone is not only thinking about you, but also has a clear and very personal plan for the future. They trigger a range of emotions and thoughts. These are courage, hope, curiosity, change and the pursuit of excellence. Coaches have a clear vision for all individual players, which is also based on the values of the team vision, the vision for the big picture. Not only the current level of performance is important, but also the individual potential for growth. In other words, having a vision for a person means believing in them and their potential. Because it is often the case that people believe in others and then in themselves. This belief can be a powerful motivational force. Because people are often capable of much more than they give themselves credit for. But without someone who believes in them, they can be blind to their own potential and blind to which fork in the road they should take at the next junction.

When people feel that others believe in them, they feel recognised in their efforts. This creates a positive upward spiral: self-confidence grows, people have more confidence in themselves, achieve more and their basic trust in their own abilities is further strengthened. At the same time, managers can convey specific company values and mould their employees. At TOWA, we want to adopt this idea of vision for individuals for our colleagues and thus promote and challenge them in a targeted manner.

Clear development goals:

In professional football, clear goals are part of every weekly rhythm. Every week, new short-term goals are set to win the game at the weekend, which are embedded in the overall context of medium or long-term goals. Similar to the skier who sets himself the goal of mastering goal after goal in order to have a successful race.

It is undeniable that clear goals are a powerful medium for fuelling motivation, aspiration and the chance of success. Not only do they provide meaning and purpose, but they also create direction and structure. From them, concrete steps for self-improvement can be derived. They bind us to the task at hand and allow for greater commitment and focus. With clear goals, we can focus our energy on taking important steps towards achieving them, rather than focussing on irrelevant tasks or distractions.

At TOWA, we will start here with clearly timed and fixed milestones development paths. It is important that the path is largely guided by short-term goals that are set at a certain frequency. The focus is always on the next goal (the next game, the next slalom goal). This conveys consistency, requires concentration and demands the necessary effort. And if you then do your homework step by step, the result can only be the next step on the career ladder.

The development goal represents the next step on the career ladder, and the consistent path to it is travelled with appropriate concentration and effort.

Mistakes are learning opportunities

Mistakes and failures are of course part of the process and not the end of a journey. Everyone has a bad day, everyone makes mistakes. Athletes are experienced in dealing with mistakes and defeats, because in every competition there is inevitably a loser.

It is essential that our belief in each other endures even in difficult times. Successful coaches therefore focus on the approach of their players rather than the result. When things like commitment, determination or the willingness to put themselves at the service of the team to support their team-mates have been realised, there is a reason for positive reinforcement, regardless of a potentially negative result. This creates a supportive environment in which people are more willing to try out creative ideas and take risks. If they feel that they have someone's back when they stick to the common goals, they are more willing to take the next step. As a trainer and in leadership, it is important to be consistent and authentic. Encouragement and positive reinforcement are important, but equally important is the demand for performance and responsibility within the team structure.

The right mix of support and challenge makes all the difference.