Post by Professor Adam Nicholls

“𝗔 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘆: 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀” (Lao Tzu) Lip readers have analysed the dialogue between Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni and central midfielder Leandro Paredes. Paredes is explaining Scaloni that he’s struggling to pass the ball forward, because he’s being closed down by the opposition number 9, and how he wants to the centre back to bring the ball up, to attract the attention of the 9, so he can receive it in space. The best leaders create environments where people feel safe to share their perspectives. They actively invite different viewpoints, encourage honest conversations, and, most importantly, genuinely listen to what others have to say. Scaloni’s leadership is also typified by being focused, calm, and avoiding any media attention. Behind his calm exterior, lies a strong leader who understands the importance of mentality and the environment: “But the most important thing is the head. They’re all good players so if they’re in a good place mentally, if you can remove any fears; that’s important. We came from two Copa América finals lost, a World Cup final lost. The feeling was, ‘We’re never going to win anything’, ‘We won’t win, won’t win, won’t win’. We told them that win or lose, the sun rises.” Coach Scaloni emphasises the importance of unity and camaraderie, where the team comes first, and that the team should feel like a family. He once said: "If you unite people... it's hard to do badly." Coach Scaloni is calm and listens in this clip, whilst then implementing a solution, with no ego. (🎥: keepitondeck)

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