Jeremy Snape’s Post

🚀 Hard Work vs. Strategy: Lessons from England's Quarter-Final Victory 🚀 This evening's quarter-final clash between England and Switzerland was a masterclass in combining hard work with strategic brilliance, culminating in a thrilling penalty shootout victory. 🌟 Hard Work: England's relentless effort on the pitch was evident from the first whistle. The players' dedication to every tackle, pass, and sprint demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the team's success. Hard work isn't just about physical exertion; it's about mental resilience, especially under the pressure of a penalty shootout. 🧠 Strategy: But hard work alone doesn't win matches. England's well-executed strategy, from their defensive formations to their swift counter-attacks, showcased the importance of planning and tactical intelligence. Knowing when to press, how to exploit weaknesses, and making real-time adjustments were pivotal to their victory. ⚽ Penalty Shootout: The shootout was the ultimate test of composure and preparation. England's players showed nerves of steel and flawless technique, turning a high-pressure situation into a triumphant moment. Their success in the shootout underscored the importance of practice, precision, and psychological fortitude. 🎯 The Takeaway: In both football and business, success is a blend of hard work and smart strategy. Hard work lays the foundation, while strategy directs that effort towards achieving goals. Whether on the pitch or in the office, balancing these elements is key to turning potential into performance. Kudos to the England team for reminding us that with the right mix of effort and planning, we can achieve remarkable results! Bring on the semi-final on Wednesday! ⚽🏆 #HardWork #Strategy #Leadership #Teamwork #Football #BusinessLessons

"I could probably put the under-18 team out there and they wouldn't concede six goals, so I'm very disappointed, angry, frustrated and the next 24-48 hours are not going to be very nice for the players” - Wayne Rooney after the latest heavy defeat for his Plymouth Argyle team Highly decorated player as he was, I wonder if Rooney the manager might benefit from Deci and Ryan’s 1985 Self-Determination Theory of Motivation…! According to this, high motivation comes from feeling: 1. COMPETENT – feeling effective and capable 2. RELATEDNESS – feeling close, connected to, and valued by others 3. AUTONOMY – feeling willingly engaged in behaviours Tough job though football management is, I’m not convinced the words above will make the Plymouth players feel any more capable, valued, or willingly engaged in their next match… …what does anyone else think?? https://lnkd.in/e59Fswbp P.S. If you’d like to discuss how I apply this theory in market research (it’s not only useful for judging football managers!) please get in touch.

Do you know how to win ugly? So much can be said about achieving results even when you're not at your best. It brings me back to a cliché that should perhaps be even more common: “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” - Archilochus It's entrenched in the things you do that nobody sees. It’s about showing up and fighting the resistance, as Steven Pressfield talks about in The War of Art. For championship teams and successful organizations, this foundation allows winning to become a habit. I know I’m becoming that guy who’s constantly talking about the Springboks and what we can learn from them, but man, they’re an impressive bunch. At face value and statistically, they should not have won on Saturday. Winning rugby matches at the highest level is about building momentum from successive positive outcomes. Most teams who lose that many breakdowns and lineouts will invariably lose to opposition as good as the All Blacks. Watching high up in the stands, you benefit from seeing the whole field. In their defensive system, the 'Boks defend very narrowly. For those who’ve played rugby, it’s almost illogical at first glance. But they back themselves to do two things well: 1) make good decisions and 2) work hellishly hard to fix the consequences of bad decisions. Forget about rugby — how much can be learned/achieved from just following those two principles? Develop systems and processes to help you win ugly, and then build a culture of winning upon that foundation. Happy Monday. Thanks again, Bokke

Jack Grealish Set to Start in Lee Carsley’s First Game as England’s Interim Manager In a significant development for the England football team, Jack Grealish is set to start in what will be Lee Carsley’s first game as the interim manager. The match marks… #EnglandInterimManager #JackGrealishsettoStart #LeeCarsley >>> Read more

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕡𝕤 & 𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝔹𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 (... & 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩) Adversity is '𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮'. Life isn't smooth. In professional sport, the phrase "𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙" is used within talent pathways and I have always considered this to be an appropriate metaphor for business too. You win some and you lose some. Talent (or business) isn't developed overnight and the '𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝' to success is often one of "𝙪𝙥𝙨 & 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨". It includes periods of adversity - challenges and obstacles to overcome. It's not always a smooth ride in the world of business and we all take some knocks here and there. As long as we manage those knocks in a constructive way, we can bounce back ... and progress! This last weekend included incredible success for 🅘🅒🅔 🅗🅞🅒🅚🅔🅨 in 🅛🅔🅔🅓🅢 ... the fastest growing sport in Leeds. Friday night, #TeamGB sold out the Leeds Knights 🏰 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞! 🏰 with a win over #Poland. Great atmosphere, a 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝙊𝙪𝙩! and some quality hockey on show - and with fans from all corners of the UK (& a lively Polish contingent too). Saturday - Leeds Knights played in the 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙙 ... and experienced the euphoria of winning through to the final. Sunday ... the dejection of losing on a sudden-death penalty shout out! '𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮' hurting. The Players. The Coaching Team, the staff ... and the fans! The fans ... incredible support throughout and despite the result, still showing tremendous commitment and appreciation for a fantastic season. The focus could be on this one result where we didn't '𝙬𝙞𝙣' - 1 game out of 66 - 1.5%. Yet we should not lose sight of the tremendous season completed as 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 (again) and so much success - the other 98.5%. The year should not be defined by one result ... as in business, you have good and bad days. Celebrate the good ... and learn from the 'not so' good❗

Great article , the ecosystem and the adversity is the same for all the players in an ecosystem The once who can out think others and use the team’s strengths and hone the skills , develop strategies to limit the impact of the teams weaknesses are the ones who can come out as winners

𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 🏆 After last night’s win against The Netherlands, England is celebrating the result, and the anticipation and belief is growing for Sunday’s final – could it really be ‘coming home’? ⚽🏡 There are numerous lessons to take from Gareth Southgate’s leadership, and many articles and LinkedIn posts have already highlighted his remarkable ability to guide a team through a high-stakes tournament 🚀 But my key takeaway from last night emerged during the pre-match panel discussion. Gary Neville spoke about the enormous pressure England players face from fans and the media. The phrase ‘𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴’ sprang to mind. Everyone has an opinion on Gareth’s strategy, formation, and substitutions – he can never please everyone. However, by sticking to his plan, he has consistently demonstrated that he knows what he is doing. Gareth has also done much to help his players deal with negativity from fans and the media. Even the GREAT players of our time, like Beckham in the 2004 Euros, faced harsh scrutiny for missed opportunities. No one is perfect; we all miss sometimes, but we must keep moving forward. We cannot control what others say about us or how they react, but we can always strive to do our best 💚 Stay focused, stay positive, trust in your own strategy and let the results speak for themselves 🌟 (and let's bring it home 🏆⚽😉) #Leadership #Motivation #SelfBelief #DoYourBest #MindsetMatters #GarethSouthgate #FootballLessons Image credit: BBC / Getty Images

It was June, 2020. Spurs hadn't won in 7 matches and were finding it really tough to get a top 4 finish to qualify for the Champions League. They were drawing 0-0 at half-time against West Ham, and another disappointing result was on the cards. But then the coach, Jose Mourinho, gave an inspirational half-time speech that completely changed the game. This video shows the Special One firing up his players with some blunt but motivating words.  Jose's feedback is raw and contains curse language - Brace yourself for the F-Bombs! Within minutes, Tottenham were playing with a newfound desire and hunger - and they went on to win the crucial match. Coaches are capable of changing the current momentum and pace by substituting players, calling time-outs (Hughes, 2017) or giving a half-time speech (Zach et al., 2022) to gain an advantage. Whether you're managing a sports team or leading a business, the ability to rally your team when the chips are down is invaluable. A well-timed, heartfelt pep talk can work wonders in rekindling motivation and fostering a winning mindset. Mourinho's plain speaking resonated with his squad and reminded them of what they were capable of. Sometimes, tactics or long speeches aren't what our team needs. What they need is the leader getting to the core of what's holding the team back and giving them that extra belief to succeed. Speak from the heart, believe in your people, and watch as they rise to the occasion. — Video credit: PetersZ

The date is June 24th 2022 and the England Women’s Football Team, widely known as The Lionesses, are playing the Netherlands – the reigning European champions, in a warm-up game prior to the start of the UEFA Women’s Euros. It’s half time and the score is 1-1 and Sarina Wiegman, the recently appointed England coach is not happy. “Girls” she exclaimed in the dressing room “I’m not sure what weight is on your shoulders, but please shake it off. Right now we’re playing not to lose. Let’s play some football and go for the win”* With this message ringing loudly in their ears, the team came out for the second half to be bolder and focus more on scoring goals rather than just not conceding them – it was as if a brake had been released. The contrast to the first half could not have been greater, and at the end of the match the final score was England 5 – Netherlands 1, and The Lionesses were on the way to what would be a gloriously successful Euros tournament just a few weeks later. Playing not to lose in business is an all too familiar problem. It’s the equivalent of mid-market mediocrity where competitors battle ferociously to out-bland each other with desperately dull and familiar variations to the norm. A fear of going backwards or being left behind suffocates any urgency to adopt a different approach to make more or better or quicker progress. Such fear is irrational, but without a clear strategy that incorporates some risk and exploration of the unknown, it can seem an ever-present drag on creativity and innovation. The most successful organisations and the most successful people understand this and develop strategies that recognise that just because you’re not losing, it doesn’t necessarily mean you win. #strategy #business #leadership *Credit: Sarina Wiegman – What It Takes: My Playbook on Life and Leadership

HOW SLOT IS HANDS ON WITH TRENT ET AL In the article, the technical focus is on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive development under the guidance of Arne Slot. Slot, the Liverpool right-back's coach, has taken over the role of enhancing Alexander-Arnold's defensive abilities, an area often criticised in the past. Alexander-Arnold expressed his ambition to become the most feared defender in Europe, and Slot has been instrumental in helping him work towards that goal. The two have developed a routine where Slot meticulously analyses Alexander-Arnold’s performances after each match, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. This process includes detailed reviews, sometimes involving up to 20 clips, with a focus on defensive positioning and one-on-one situations. Slot’s method is described as harsh but constructive, ensuring that any mistakes are called out and addressed in subsequent matches. Alexander-Arnold, known for his attacking prowess, is now equally invested in his defensive contribution. His collaboration with Slot has led to improvements in his defensive stats, such as clean sheets and preventing opposition wingers from advancing. Slot's coaching involves setting specific targets for Alexander-Arnold, like the number of times an opponent gets past him, crosses, or takes shots, helping to develop a more balanced and effective playing style. This detailed coaching relationship with Slot is also likely to influence Alexander-Arnold's future at the club, with trophies being a key factor in his decision-making process regarding his contract extension. Trent’s future is still in the balance. Trent’s desire is to win trophies, is he holding out to see if Liveprool can compete at the highest level and stay, or decide to leave. The power is in his hand. Shoud Trent stay, nail his colours to the mast or should he hold out? Is he going to do a Steve McManaman job on Liverpool and go for a free? I will not forgive him if he does. https://lnkd.in/eBmD9CvC