Watched by an enormous 12.2 million people in the UK, the Lionesses’ victory on Sunday against Spain in the UEFA Women’s Euros was a masterclass on how a high-performing and diverse team can work together to succeed.
As reigning champions, Sunday marked the Lionesses’ second Euros win and the third for manager Sarina Weigman, who also led the Netherlands’ team to Euros victory in 2017. Teams of all kinds can learn from the exemplary leadership and teamwork shown not just by the Lionesses, but by players throughout the Euros competition. Although some HR professionals and business leaders may not instantly see the similarities between their teams and the Lionesses, the skills and performance shown on Sunday night may be mirrored in your own workplaces to both employer and employee advantage.
Every strong team starts with a strong leader. Weigman embodies strong leadership skills (communication, trust in her team, and high expectations) and knows how to get the best out of her players, reaping the rewards as a result. Using team members according to their strengths and ensuring that each individual’s skills complement the wider team’s needs creates a platform for growth and success.
When building your team, think about which competencies you need. It’s not enough to simply focus on your superstar starting 11, consider the larger team and the intricate web of support staff that are invaluable to your business. A team filled with defenders wouldn’t get very far – it’s important that homogeneous teams are challenged. In doing so, you may find that the stagnant “but that’s just how it’s always done” turns instead into increased innovation and creativity.
More than a ‘tick box’ legal exercise, diversity and inclusion is key to creating effective teams. It has been proven time and again that having a diverse team lends itself to success and allows the team to benefit from varied thinking and a breadth of ideas that would otherwise be missing. It’s important to challenge unconscious biases during recruitment by implementing processes like diverse interview panels or assessments that relate to the skills required for the role, rather than strictly traditional qualifications.
For many businesses, the interview process involves team members outside of the HR function, so you may consider rolling out unconscious bias training for colleagues who may not have as much interview experience. If an applicant seems like the best person for the job but doesn’t have the necessary experience, weighing their potential against their experience can be a helpful exercise to ensure your business is not missing out on a fresh perspective.
Support your team and address inequality and discrimination as it arises. During the Euros tournament, England player Jess Carter faced racist abuse and discrimination on social media. Carter was supported by her team who made it clear that such abuse would not be tolerated. It’s important that a strong culture is encouraged where everyone knows that discrimination is unacceptable and colleagues feel empowered to speak up. A clear diversity and inclusion policy is important, as is regular diversity and inclusion training, and a grievance policy through which employees can raise concerns.
Leading by example is paramount, as is ensuring that every team member feels valued. As a business, pick your leader wisely and make sure they have the qualities needed to effectively manage employees. It may be tempting to pick the high-performing individual or the person who has been there the longest, but these factors don’t necessarily mean that they will be effective in the leadership position.
The Women’s Euros was both a fantastic sporting event and a lesson in high-performing teams, showing the results of hard-work, resilience, and quality leadership. Unfortunately, diversity and inclusion can often be overlooked or shied away from but it is more important than ever to fully embrace and embody it in your culture in order to build your own winning team.