I read this morning about the sad passing of the Brazilian soccer legend Socrates, aged 57. It follows the tragic suicide of 42 year-old Wales soccer manager, Gary Speed, last weekend.
Socrates embodied the flair and romance of soccer yesteryear, before supreme athleticism was a prerequisite for soccer success. He was cut from a similar cloth as players like George Best, who would have a cigarette before the game and a brandy at half-time. While his death (caused by food poisoning) appears unrelated to his lifestyle, he will forever be remembered for his unkempt looks and wiry frame, the result of habitual alcoholism and heavy smoking (and, of course, for his footballing brilliance). Gary Speed, by comparison, was a leader in the generation of players who dedicated their bodies to the sport and professionalized soccer, changing the game forever. As a result of players like Speed, Socrates would never get close to the current Brazilian squad.
What lessons can we learn from this?
In 1982, when Socrates was at his peak, excellence and dedication to one’s field were less homogeneous in soccer. The same might be said about business. Passion and individual flair allowed for stand-out performances but – in part induced by the efficiency revolution brought about by the advent of private equity and in part by globalization – the world is now more competitive. Competence and diligence are no longer points of differentiation in business; they are points of parity, required for survival. Romance is dead.
The value of the MBA becomes greater in this new world of efficiency and hyper-competition. Perhaps it, too, becomes a point of parity for business leaders. What I would call the three-pronged academic offering of a top MBA program – intelligent understanding of global economics and capital markets, comfort in decision making across a breadth of internal business functions, and deep understanding of oneself as a leader – is needed just to get into the squad. Industry-specific expertise (the equivalent of mastering a position on the soccer field) also needs to be developed over time in a business professional’s career, before and after business school.
Of course, natural ability still has an important role to play. If you have two left feet, it matters not a jot that you train all day, every day; you won’t make the starting XI for Brazil. But, in today’s world, widespread mastery of the basics means that David and Goliath stories are less common. If you want to play in the big leagues, you have to train like the big leagues. Some people lament this development (for example, those who prefer college basketball to the NBA) but the efficiency train has sounded its horn and will shortly have left the station.
Read the full article: Romance is dead