Post by Adriana Fernández Caballero

Read this before you hire another exceptional person. The greatest leaders do not build organisations that depend on extraordinary people. They build organisations where ordinary people consistently achieve extraordinary things because the system allows them to. That was one of the main thoughts I took from listening to Luis de la Fuente and, specifically, Thierry Henry analyse Spain's route to the final in the past days in FOX Sports. If you have two minutes this weekend, this is it: https://lnkd.in/e8_Qrc4U His analysis was not about having the best players. These were the highlights for me: • Every level has levels • Great leadership • Everyone knows the system Spain has exceptional players, without question but what Luis de la Fuente has achieved goes beyond selecting talent. He has built a team where talent serves the system, not the other way around. Every player understands their role. The identity is clear. Decisions are consistent, standards are shared and everyone knows what is expected of them, whether they start the match or come on in the 85th minute. That would never happen by chance. Behind great teams, there is almost always leadership that made thousands of decisions no one remembers today. Decisions about standards, identity, culture, accountability and ways of working. Decisions that gradually stopped depending on one person and became part of how the team operates. That is why sport analogies work so well in business. Many organisations are built around exceptional individuals. Very few are built around exceptional teams. Keep in mind that an exceptional individual will change the outcome of a project but teams will keep winning. Before looking for your next exceptional hire to grow your business, perhaps ask yourself: Does everyone understand the system, or only your best people? If one of your top performers left tomorrow, what would remain? Are you recruiting great individuals, or building a great team? And perhaps the most important question of all: Does talent serve your system or does your system depend on talent? FIFA FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States Arsenal Football Club #Leadership #HighPerformanceTeams #BusinessStrategy #OrganisationalCulture #TeamPerformance #SystemsThinking #LeadershipDevelopment #WorldCup #Strategy