The Danish team lost a semi-final, but these guys learned for life and inspired people around the world.
Two aspects of the Danish national team’s EURO2020 journey caught my attention, and I believe there is inspiration for any team to be found here. Of course, I can only view what happened from a distance, but several of the emotional press conferences and interviews in the last weeks, distilled two aspects that inspired me. Maybe you find something in it too.
#1 - My Team is My Castle.
When their team mate was down, the team formed a protective circle. A castle, you may say. It was a deeply touching and impressive moment. The players took responsibility, and gave all what they had: Their compassion, love and protection. We would all have understood if they would have stepped away because it was too dramatic to deal with, but they did not hide.
I had many conversations about this moment, and believe that it was not only born out of the dramatic situation. What many (non-Danes) are not aware of is that at the backside of the jersey there is an imprint saying “En del af noget stoerre” – “Part of something bigger”. The team forming process started several years earlier, and focused on not only playing football to win, but to create a sense of belonging and unity that transcends the game. They have truly built a team that is connected, both internally and externally. The forming of a protective “castle” was a logical consequence. It was not a coincidence; It is simply what this team has become.
#2 - A vulnerable leader is a strong leader.
In the team press conferences on 13th June, the team leadership gave insight into what happened on the pitch, and in the hours after. It struck me, that Kasper Hjulmand (the coach) and Peter Moeller (the President of the Football Association), did not hide their own vulnerability. Additionally, they questioned their own decisions and behaviours that led to the game being continued the same evening.
In essence they admitted that they were not the leaders they should have been in that moment, which made them truly human. It would have been easy to not address their self-doubts and shortcomings, but they chose a path of unconditional honesty and responsibility. How often do we see business leaders doing this?
Football is not only football, business is not only business.
It really doesn’t matter that Denmark did not win the Euro2020. Instead, they showed us all that compassion, love, generosity and togetherness is what really make teams strong. In business, we should not need a colleague to collapse with a heart attack, to call up the same sense of team spirit. Every day, we all have the opportunity to reach out to colleagues, support them, give them new perspectives and connect as human beings.
If we look at Denmark’s performance in the tournament, one word come to my mind: Momentum. The team moved from a situation of fear, to an incredible team momentum. Born out of the sense of unity, purpose and love. This is something that any other team can learn from, and integrate in the way they work together. I will share some thoughts and some of the work we do on Team Momentum in a later article.
What’s next?
From a psychological perspective, I am curious about what will happen the next months:
How will the players digest their experiences?
How will they come together as a team in the next matches?
How will the coach go about not nominating players in future, who were part of this tournament?
What will this “exclusion” do to a non-nominated player, who may feel that he is no longer “part of something bigger”.
What will this do to the team spirit?
The challenge for the team leadership will be to continue to foster the belief of being “part of something bigger”, even if a player is not part of the nominated team. I am sure they are aware of this, and that they will work on it.
To me, that is the true strength of this team.
Yours, Henrik