Be Like Messi

I’m a Columbus Crew supporter and season ticket holder, but that doesn’t affect my ability to see that there are some important lessons from the way Lionel Messi plays soccer, ahem, football for some, at an exceptionally high level. He is undeniably the GOAT.

All of us can learn from Messi’s play and apply the principles to perform at a high level. No, we might not be the most skilled, but these principles can help anyone, even the less skilled, perform better when it matters most.

• Energy conservation: Messi doesn’t always go out during a match. I went back and watched some clips of Messi in his younger playing days, and this principle has been true throughout his career. Messi isn’t running all over the pitch chasing the play and the match. He picks and chooses the moments to dispense energy. There are times in a game when Messi will be walking, seemingly disengaged from what is happening. He isn’t. He is conserving energy for when it matters most. Are you wasting energy on activities, people, and moments that don’t matter?
• High-value moments: Building on the above, Messi’s energy expenditure at the highest-value moments is crucial to his success and impact. Not every moment in soccer is equal, nor is it for any of us in our work. When the highest-value moments occur, we have to be prepared to perform at our best. This starts with conserving energy and then recognizing when it’s the right time to expend it. Are you mindful and capable of separating the highest-value, leverage moments from the rest?
• Vision: Messi sees the field and what will happen before most others. This is partly due to his energy conversation and situational awareness, as he can better read the game and anticipate what will happen. Are you considering what is happening in both macro and micro aspects of your work and business?
• Be a nucleus: Messi makes his teammates better. He creates space and time for them to operate, which is everything in soccer and most sports. His teammates also know that if they run into a particular space on the field, he will likely find them and pass them the ball. Messi becomes the nucleus because he opens the game for everyone else on the team. Are you making your colleagues better by putting them in the best positions to succeed?

I could go on because when someone is the best at their profession, the praise is endless. Messi operates differently, which allows him to perform best when it matters most and to facilitate his team’s performance, too.