Hey everyone, Happy Monday!
I usually write about people from industries like Tech, Startups & Business and I thought it would be nice to switch it up. So this issue is about a world-class person from my favorite sport, football!
José Mourinho is currently the manager at Tottenham Hotspurs, an English football team that I absolutely hate. I also dislike Mourinho but it’s only because he is soo good and always defeats Arsenal (the football team that I love & Tottenham’s rival club). He is often referred to as “the special one” and believe it or not, he gave himself that title!
1 STORY FROM HIM
Jose’s Mind Games
In 2003, Porto (José was the manager there at that time) made it to the Champions League. They were the best team in Portugal but had a long way to go to be the best team in all of Europe.
Champions League has a draw system where which team will play against which is decided by picking random balls from a lot. Mourinho and his team at that time sat together to watch the draw to see who they will compete with.
Manchester United was the best team in 2003. Jose knew that if Porto got Manchester in the draw, his players will be disappointed. So Mourinho started creating an atmosphere where everyone in the team wanted Manchester, he was talking non-stop about how badly he wants to play against Manchester United. Again and again, he kept saying “I want Manchester United, I want Manchester United”
If they get Manchester now, good because he has already created a state of mind where his players want to play against them. If not, better because they get an easier opponent.
When they finally get Manchester United in that draw, every player jumps and celebrates!
2 QUOTES FROM HIM
"Of course I'm disappointed. A defeat is a defeat even if you don't deserve the defeat. We don't deserve the defeat but it's a defeat."
“..It is not important how we play. If you have a Ferrari and I have a small car, to beat you in a race..I have to break your wheel or put sugar in your tank..”
3 PRINCIPLES FOR YOU
Don’t coach the players, coach the team
The team is more important than any player. The job of a coach is to coach teams & not coach individuals. You can’t teach Ronaldo how to take a freekick, he already knows that better than anyone else. What you have to teach them is how they can play efficiently with the team that brings out their special individual talents.
Make your words work for you
Mourinho is the king of mind games, manipulating the media and baiting other coaches through the power of his skill on the soapbox. This is also one of the main reasons why he has accumulated many haters over the period of time
For your own ends, you need to realize the power of your own words. Your players will be affected by every word you say, positively or negatively, consciously or unconsciously. As a communicator, you are never off duty. Be a goal-orientated communicator - think before you speak, and try to speak and act in a way that builds morale, not deflates it, 100% of the time.
Some rules are meant to be broken
Mourinho was banned for 2 games in 2004. He was not allowed to be on the sidelines or the dressing room because of an incident where he made disparaging remarks at another head coach.
The upcoming game was an important one, where his team was playing Bayern Munich in the Quarter Finals and he felt it was a game where his players need him to be with them. He told them he will be there for them waiting in the dressing room and will be listening to the game on the radio. He assured his players that he will be by their side even if he has to risk his career
UEFA (the banning committee) realized that he might be in the dressing room because they couldn’t find him in the stands so Jose jumped into a metal laundry basket and the laundryman helped him escape out of there.He wasn’t proud of breaking the rules but says that sometimes you have to do it for the players. “You do anything for your family.” Chelsea went on to win that game by 4 goals to 2.
That’s it from me, until next time! Feel free to reach out to me by replying to this email or on twitter 👋
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