I'm enjoying the irst match of the World Cup 2010 between South Africa and Mexico match right now and remember writing a piece on the topic in 2006 (still in the Quick Tips section of the website). The piece looks at linear vs systemic thinking styles. Which are you?
I had a green Pelé lunchbox when I was eight years old. At the time, I didn't even know who Pelé was and probably would have preferred Wonder Woman.
Times have changed. Now American kids love and play soccer more than any other youth sport. But then at about the age of 13, kids turn their attention to American football. I wonder why. Of course, most of the rest of the world loves soccer intensely ... children and adults.
What can soccer and football teach us about each other? Answer: Lots. Here's one consideration: It may reflect your approach to life.
For example: American football correlates perfectly with the overriding American thought process: Work in teams. Go straight. Push hard. Move little by little, yard by yard. At any given moment, it's mostly offensive or mostly defensive. Work out the strategy ahead of time. Push it through to the goal.
In some cultures, soccer correlates more closely with the thought process: Focus on stars and power plays. Go forward and backward according to the conditions. Manage the offensive and defensive at the same time. Change the approach as the conditions dictate. Work it around from different angles until you score.
5 Tips: How to be a Multi-Talented, Global Player -- Using Both Football and Soccer
Ask your colleagues and friends for personal feedback on your thought process style: football or soccer? (Do you rely on one style entirely?)
Experiment with your less-prevalent style. Example: Recently I was negotiating the price of an item, and we did not agree. Realizing we were stuck, I changed the subject to other aspects of the sale, returning to the issue of price at the end. (I had made no other concessions during the conversation.) Then he agreed to my desired price. Why? Soccer mentality.
Trust others to resolve things in their way. I regularly see people criticizing others' styles (soccer or football) up until the day that s/he receives a positive result. Then there is surprise from the criticizer, as if it was just luck! This is a sign of one-dimensional thinker.
When negotiating anything, focus on the outcome you both want (the goal) ...not the method. By getting underneath the positions each party holds and finding out what really matters, many more options can emerge. Ask: Why is this element important to you?
Strive to be equally adept at both styles (football and soccer). Then use the appropriate style depending on the circumstances. How? Meet with people you work with (your team, counterparts, clients, etc.) after resolution of issues (or ½ way through) and discuss how you work together. What worked about the styles or process? Were there moments in which a style did not work?
I like to think of thinking style preferences as part of a set of cultural preferences that each of us have based on our DNA and life experiences. Being able to identify and integrate best aspects of any given culture into one's own style helps us in that by having a wide range of skills makes life easier. It allows for more opportunity for win-win results when navigating our daily experience and lives.
I hope you enjoy the World Cup series, if that is your preference!
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