I thought I should write a retrospective piece on England’s Euro campaign. It was campaign full of extreme highs and some very low lows! Southgate was heavily criticised for his tactics, failure to press, reluctance to dispense with Kane, and perhaps most notably his failure to realise the potential we all know that Bellingham, Foden et al possessed.

Working on weaknesses

Southgate has indicated the players “care too much” about winning a major international trophy – something no senior men’s England side has managed since the 1966 World Cup. Player Declan Rice also believes the team are anxious to end a 58-year wait for a major men’s trophy and are putting too much pressure on themselves.

But, perhaps there is too much focus on the team’s weaknesses? Many believe that focusing on weaknesses is the best way to improve. By paying attention to the things we’re not so good at, we can work to get better at those things?

Studies in the workplace, by Gallup, show that employees actually felt more confident, self-aware, and productive when their bosses focused on their strengths, not their weaknesses. Focusing too much on weaknesses can lower self-esteem and ultimately harm confidence and productivity.

Play to your strengths

Something that experts in a whole range of fields have in common is this that they never stop learning. No-one ever knows everything, so putting energy into building on your strengths rather than just concentrating on weaknesses will always help you to keep growing and achieving.

Marcus Buckingham, author and a strength strategist, says “Strengths are activities you’re good at, they’re activities that strengthen you. A strength is an activity that before you’re doing it you look forward to doing it; while you’re doing it, time goes by quickly and you can concentrate; after you’ve done it, it seems to fulfil a need of yours.”

Knowing your strengths offers a better understanding of how to deal with your weaknesses and helps you gain the confidence you need to address them.

Building on a sound base

The manager knows that the side he has so carefully assembled and prepared are capable of even more. The manager’s authentic, humble and value-led approach has paid dividends in the past.

Southgate is on record as saying “My approach would be to have empathy with people. As a coach, you always have to be there to support the person. Improving them as a player becomes secondary to a degree.”

We learn through failure, honing our skills and improving our aim. We get up again and again, head held high. Southgate with his genuine concern for his players and his insistence at playing the game with integrity is bolstered by his talk about ‘sustainable strategy’. Southgate and the team have to exploit the strengths and develop the weaknesses.

What we learnt from the Euros

Come the final it turned out that Spain were the better team. It’s hard to take. Thirty years of hurt to quote Baddiel and Skinner’s Three Lions anthem, and that was 26 years go. If only we could have been braver. Fortune favours the brave, perhaps the team should have taken more risks to secure the reward we so much want to see.

No other team has played more games at the Euros without winning the competition than England. It’s securing a win that seems to be a sticking point. What we do know is that Lady Luck favours the prepared, so for now the team have to accept that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. After all we appear to have conquered penalties. So let’s just get over it, aim to do better next time.

Key message let’s play to strengths and take risks. What have we got lose? Another final?

Michael Moran

Michael is CEO and Founder of 10Eighty. He is passionate about helping people maximise their potential and believes everyone should have job satisfaction and a successful career. He helps organisations design jobs and career paths that maximise employee engagement. As an avid reader/commentator on the world of work and sport, he regularly draws parallels between the two. You could describe Michael as a budding author with “The Guide to Everlasting Employability” already under his belt, and technophile who’s created 2 career management apps to help people manage their careers.

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