Team Triumph: Lessons from Argentina's Historic World Cup Victory
Reflecting on Argentina's long-awaited World Cup victory, this passage explores lessons in teamwork and the collective path to success.
More than a year has passed since the day the Argentina national football team (ARG) clinched the World Cup (WC) championship. As a football fan, I was quite thrilled with that outcome. However, occasionally, I still revisit the footage surrounding the team's achievement to remind myself of the lessons surrounding this historic result.
It had been a long time since the ARG national team won the WC, precisely since 1986 (before I was born). Essentially, the ARG team has always been among the top contenders for the championship, but they had to wait a long time to reclaim the title. It took 36 years to reach the pinnacle of glory again. With a strong lineup like ARG's, featuring numerous big names such as Messi and Di Maria, I always wonder why it took them so long to achieve victory.
My personal perspective is that success in sports requires more than just talent. If you gather all the superstars and put them on the field, it may not yield high results because they would lack cohesion. Cohesion is extremely crucial for the success of a team. On the other hand, if you field amateur, unprofessional players, it's only natural that playing poorly is to be expected.
At this point, I want to emphasize the success of the team. In the working environment, most of the time, we are a member of a team. Therefore, the success of the team is more important than that of each individual. During my work experience, I've worked with colleagues of different generations. While younger colleagues often have talent and a good hard-working style, their lack of focus or professionalism is a concerning issue. I will write another article about my perceptions of the younger generation later.
To succeed, we need to find ways to leverage the strengths of each individual. Additionally, when one or a few individuals are not suitable, we need to make efforts to improve or replace them with suitable ones. Not everyone is suitable for a team; sometimes, a few people are only suitable for working alone. In a managerial position, making difficult decisions is unavoidable. Above all, when making decisions, you need to prioritize the team's interests over the interests of any individual, including yourself.
I have always been taught by my father that 'On the road to success, there are no footprints of the lazy.' I believe that statement still holds true today. If you are a young person reading this and feel you haven't been very successful, try to see if you have put in enough effort. Does your thinking and actions prioritize the team over the individual?