Industry Buzz: Lessons from the World Cup Semi-final

Yesterday’s World Cup match between Germany and Brazil was surprising, to say the least. Within 29 minutes, the Germans had scored 5 points against Brazil, the most points scored in that amount of time in a World Cup match, according to ESPN. By the end of the match, Brazil had only managed to score 1 point against Germany’s 7.

What does this have to do with business? Well, a couple of things.

For one, yesterday’s match showcased what can happen when two of your business’ key players are down for the count. Maybe they’re on vacation, got sick, or even up and quit. In Brazil’s case, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was out due to an injury suffered to his vertebra, and team captain Thiago Silvia was suspended. As a result, Brazil went into the match at a disadvantage that, most likely, greatly contributed to their downfall.

Considering this, it’s important that the weight of your business doesn’t rest on one or two people’s shoulders. Think about how you can safeguard your business in case one of your key employees is down for the count. Are you constantly on the look out for talented new hires in case someone leaves? Are there systems in place so that if one person is out sick, another can easily fill in? Questions like these are important to safeguarding your business from a meltdown if a valuable employee leaves their post.

Second, yesterday’s match showcased the importance of continuing to rally, even when circumstances look grim. Maybe a key employee did quit, an important partnership fell through, or you had to default on a loan. In Brazil’s case, Germany had scored two goals in a matter of minutes, after which they completely fell apart. Thereafter, Brazil seemed unable to lift their spirits and rally towards victory.

What we can learn from this is it’s important to always keep your head up when circumstances are less than ideal. Just because one or two bad things happened, that doesn’t mean your entire business is going to go down the drain. Did a marketing campaign not yield results? If so, re-evaluate. Did a promising Group X program fail to bring in enough attendance? Consider changing the instructor of class time. Lean on and support your team, continue striving forward, and things will likely turn around for the better.

Brazil’s loss to Germany was the most historic loss for the team since it lost to Uruguay 6-0 in the 1920 South American Championship of Nations. However, a failure even on this scale doesn’t have to be completely devastating. Best of luck to Brazil — the team and country — in the coming months.

Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.