5 Leadership Lessons From Football For Direct Sellers

We can learn plenty of leadership lessons from football that we can directly apply to our direct selling journey. One of the reasons QNET became the official direct selling partner of Manchester City FC is our shared love and respect for the sport and its values.

Here are the five most valuable lessons you can learn from football:

1. Shoot For Your Goals (Literally!)

Building a sustainable business requires thinking for the long-term. That means setting goals and mapping your actions towards it – exactly like in football. From the literal goals you try to score during each game to the goals of winning the League or even the World Cup, you set the objectives and work hard as a team to achieve it.

2. The Leader Is Only As Good As The Team

And vice versa – your performance and that of your team members are co-dependent. Each team member’s attitude forms part of a collective whole. If you’re careless as a leader, then don’t be surprised if your team doesn’t take you seriously. If you care for your team, you’d be surprised at how much your team cares for you.

3. You Can’t Win Alone

In sports and in life, you can never truly win all on your own. Even in individual sports, you still have a coach and people in your corner. The goalkeeper can’t defend all on his own – they need their defence. Direct selling is a people business – we build a network to sell products we believe in, meaning it very much is a business of teamwork. Can’t be a leader without having a team to lead!

4. Lead By Example

You can’t talk without doing the walk just like you can’t talk a good game without playing it. In QNET, one of our core values is integrity, and that means fulfilling your role to the best of your abilities. As the captain, it’s your job to demonstrate the best in yourself and bring out the best in your team.

5. Selflessness

Working in a team and with a team teaches you many lessons, but perhaps the most important one of all is how to think for someone other than yourself. There are 11 team members for a reason – if the striker goes all over the field chasing the ball, he’d be exhausted and facing ten opponents all on his own. Think of what your team needs and your collective goal before your own individual goals. If everyone thinks this way, then everyone has each other’s backs… and that’s how you win.

What do you think are invaluable life lessons you can learn from football? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t forget to share this with your team!