Book Review-The Barcelona Way- Prof-Damian Hughes
I have been mesmerized by football and Messi since many years. Have always loved and followed FCB, since I also love Ronaldinho and he played for this team. Their rivalry with Real Madrid football club is legendary. Of late have been lapping up number of sports books due to the fact they offer timeless and relatable wisdom for me to follow.
Rave reviews from my friend and gifted by another, I could not help myself not read this book. Like many team sports books of this time, it is less about sports but more about culture, self help and corporate wisdom for us all to emulate and learn from the sidelines of this sport. Since this is about a winning manager and winning team, you know you are hearing it right.
Football Club Barcelona or FCB as it is known,has always been about culture and Spain teams have always been about style of play. It is less about individual player antics but more about team passing, ball possession and “we” mentality.This was imbibed and taken to new heights by the coach Pep. Different team models are explained as star model of Real Madrid, autocracy as Chelsea Football Club model and Barcelona as commitment model. This is no wonder since the team is majorly owned by fans and until now, it was sponsored by NGO such as UNICEF, Qatar foundation. “He saw winning and beauty as inseparable”- quotes John Cryuff.
Successful teams from different leagues are compared and their culture dissected. Culture is the enduring legacy of a football team. Managers come and go, star players play and retire, fans too born and die.But it is the legacy which was stamped, endures more than the stadium, corporate profits, and star attractions. You get your culture right, you might lose a war, but always win the battle. When clubs are in ruins, it is the culture which helps them join the broken pieces and sew it all together for a beautiful fabric. Barca being a spanish team, and primarily consisting of players of spain origin, their average player size was just average. They were not tall, nor athletic, but they mesmerized with their magic. More than Messi, if there was one player, you could bet on was Xavi, the mid field maestro who dictated the direction of play. He decides when and where messi gets the ball. He controls the team from the middle, dodges players and creates goal scoring opportunities.
Pep introduced commitment culture in the team, absolute from the players, team management and even from the fans. It was one of the few major teams, fully owned by the fans, the people of barcelona control the club emotionally. More so often this clubs equates to catalan pride. Their success was cemented with the introduction of la masia their academy for young footballing talent, Messi is a product of it, and so were Xavi, Iniesta. This academy was rigorous and produced players adhering to the DNA of the club and helped it accentuate their game.
Mes que un club — More than a club
You need to have a purpose of why in your endeavor, it is not wealth, fame, fancy yachts, or pleasure that people seek to. They seek out for purpose and that is what Pep reforged it in the club. The club had the purpose, but lost it somewhere in their relentless pursuit of trophies, Pep re-discovered and gave it to them back. What a man can be, he must be- to be at peace with himself.
Clever corporate examples are sprinkled through the book, It is a study of companies, club and their intertwining cultures. Do it yourself exercises at the end of each chapter makes this a work book as well. Day dreaming is good when you dream not just about the goal but about the obstacles in the process as well.The significance of John Cryuff is unmistakable, he baptized Pep in football, and passed the baton to the club.
Youth system was strengthened, discipline was enforced, extravagance was curtailed. Total possession football became the norm. You see in any fcb games, they might lose or win, but their ball possession % always would be 60% and above. How do you score goals, when you do not have the ball. If the ball is with the opponent, you have two things to do:1. to get the ball 2. try scoring with that. But when the ball is with you, only one goal 1. score a goal. Yes you need to be defensive about your ball, but do not worry about it, as you would be busy scoring the goal. This has costed FCB a few trophies, matches, but their average winning has been high, that it dwarfed those failures.
Rituals and ceremonies are the hallmark of any happy family, companies or clubs. Some clubs have all fans singing them their team anthem, some dressing up in funny costumes, players kissing the trophy before the match, releasing doves. Do all these guarantee success.No, but they all pave way for it. You have posters adorning your locker room, janitors being treated with respect, players touching their team logo before venturing out. When your club treats you like family, you treat your club like one.
We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act but a habit-Will Durant
Character >> Talent
Feedback loops were action-ed, and practice matches and drills were strictly enforced. No slacking or crouching was allowed. You have scored a goal in yesterday’s match, fine go and practice. Yeah I have scored a treble, good, go and practice was the new normal. Messi was accorded the same respect as any team b player. And yeah Team B player was accorded the same respect as Messi.
One keystone habit of the team was the five second rule. Team must attempt to get the ball withing five seconds of losing it. Sounds simple but it is powerful and effective. Many winning books are also analyzed, simple detailed habits are the key. One UCLA basketball team had a ritual for wearing socks, take it out, dust it, pull it up real good and strong, now run your hand around the toe area, check for wrinkles. You might laugh at socks rituals more so for a basketball player. But these are essential for team success and so is for us. The beauty of the book is taking the wisdom of the most successful company like Pixar and applying it in my daily life. I need not have to play football like Messi, but I can code and work like him at my work.
Cultural architects and group process are dealt with. Cultural architects are important leaders inside the organization, they show light on the culture, encourage and align youngsters in the right path. They are instrumental in building trust and improving lines of communication.
Leader == Manager
Give a thought to read this inspiring book not just about football but about the way of being successful slowly but surely
