The legendary coach and UniCredit Bulbank CEO Levon Hampartzoumian identified ten success strategies.

The legendary coach Fabio Capello is in Bulgaria at the invitation of UniCredit Bulbank. At a special event for clients of the bank, hosted by Levon Hampartzoumian, for the first time in Bulgaria, Capello talked about success and difficulties in football and in business.

1. In football and in business it is extremely important to have prepared well in advance.

“Technologies nowadays allow us to analyze everything. We explore all details. Before any football match, I watch at least three previous games of our peers and in this way I develop the strategy for my team”, said Fabio Capello. In his opinion, this is the role of every manager of a business organization – to define the strategy and to make sure that each team member understands it and is ready to put maximum efforts.

2. Technologies are reshaping the world – in business and in football.

“Key changes in football occur every 20 years and in business – twice as fast. The ability to change is extremely important for achieving success”, said Fabio Capello. According to him, both in football and in business changes are cyclical and our adaptability guarantees success.

3. Success is not random.

“Real success does not fall from the sky. It is the result from the decisions we make”, believes Capello. Levon Hampartzoumian added that “Success is the result from the organized efforts of a good team that is sustainable in time.”

4. The clear definition of goals is a key to success.

Before starting to pursue success, it is important to define goals clearly. According to Capello, success is measured not by the results that have been achieved but by the accomplishment of the defined plan. He said that at different times the goals of the teams are different – sometimes it is buying or developing new players and at other times it is playing to win at any cost.

5. No team is made up of superstars only and there is no good team without talents.

“There are many good and talented players, but each coach has 11 people on the field plus reserve players. What is key for the success is that each of them should be motivated and use his talent to accomplish the goals of the team”, said Capello.

“Great talents should serve their team. One person can change the attitude of the whole team”, believes Capello.

6. The team is most important.

“Together we lose, together we win, the team is most important”, said Capello. He shared that when he started working with Real Madrid he was astonished by the united spirit of the team. “You could be a great footballer, a great coach, but when you go to Real Madrid you know that you must do your best for the White Shirts”.

7. A good coach and leader knows how to motivate his team.

“How do I motivate the players after a loss? I am one person in front of 25 team members. The relation with the team depends on me. I am the one who should give courage to the footballers to keep going forward. Of course, I do not like it when they do not follow my guidance. Every three days we revise our strategy. I never use money as motivation, but I pay special attention to the self-confidence of the players”, advised Capello. He said that he considers the personality of each player, even their pride. “A very important psychological aspect is that when you have achieved a top position you are afraid not to fall from it. In Madrid I once bought three young footballers who were 18 years old, but we needed time to train them and that is why I gradually started to bring them into play because of the huge pressure on the football field”, explained Capello.

For him, the most important thing is that footballers should consider themselves as winners. When he sees problems in the performance of a player, he spares time to find out the reasons for this – often poor performance is a result from factors beyond the football pitch.

8. The conditions define the strategy.

In his rich career Capello has been guided by the principle that the strategy has to be defined according to the conditions and the resources. “Each time when I change my job I also change my mentality because the people and circumstances are different and require a different approach”, said Capello. Despite his successful career, in his opinion football is not only about trophies and winning. “The teams that were winning before are not winning now because the resources are not used properly. You should always make wine according to the grapes that you have.”

That is why, according to Capello, midfielders become the best coaches as they have good skills in seeing the whole picture. “Midfielders become good specialists. They follow the game and what everyone does on the field, they are more practical and this helps them”, explained Capello.

9. Team decisions are always the best decisions.

When asked how he makes difficult decisions, Capello answered: “I have a team of people that I can consult, but I would not like to be surrounded by people that only say “Yes” and always agree with me. I ask them why and where we went wrong, I listen to everyone and finally I make my decision. Instinct comes only after the analysis”, believes Capello.

He pointed out that it is important for every leader to have the courage to make unpopular decisions and sometimes to go against the general opinion.

10. The most important lesson: Respect

“I always tell my players to treat everyone well, regardless of role or position. Imagine if those people were your brothers, sisters, relatives… You should always respect other people” is the most important lesson to be followed in business and in football, according to Capello.

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