Leadership Lessons from the World Cup - 1st Edition

The score was still 0–0 when the World Cup Final went into extra time.

By that point, every minute felt like an hour in the NY/NJ Stadium.

We had spent the entire match standing, singing, jumping, praying, and holding our breath alongside nearly 170 members of the official Spanish supporters club - Marearoja. Every missed opportunity was painful. Every Argentina possession felt dangerous. Every time Spain moved the ball toward the goal, the entire section seemed to lean forward together.

Then, in the 107th minute—one minute into the second half of extra time—Ferran Torres scored!!! The Spanish fans exploded!

People were jumping on top of one another. Grown adults were crying. Strangers were hugging. Flags were flying everywhere. The sound was almost impossible to describe.

And Sebastian, my 10 yr old?

He pulled off his Spain shirt and started swinging it over his head like his life depended on it - even if I asked him to keep on all of his clothes at all times. Ha! (check out my @leadershiplessons_from_life instagram to see this video)

In the middle of all that emotional and auditory chaos, Aroa (my 14yr old daughter) and I turned toward each other in complete shock and screamed the same four words:

“THIS IS PLAN A!”

To understand why those words meant so much, we have to go back to December 2025.

Once the World Cup groups were drawn and the match schedule was released, our family sat down to decide whether we could actually follow Spain through the tournament. We had one important condition: we would only attempt it if we could find a way to make the experience financially manageable and all together.

That meant we could not wait until the lottery was announced and definitely not wait until we were seeing the results of the Spanish team in real time. By then, flights would be full, hotel prices would be astronomical, and tickets on the secondary market could cost several times their original value. We would have to prepare for success before we knew whether success would happen.

So Aroa and I mapped out Plan A.

Plan A assumed Spain would win its group—and then win every match that followed, all the way to the World Cup Final.  For weeks, we searched through every airline mile, travel credit, hotel point, and loyalty account our family had accumulated. We booked refundable flights in every creative combination we could find. We reserved hotels far enough in advance to get reasonable prices, making sure we could cancel them if Spain’s path changed. We booked rental cars. We studied metro routes. We asked friends in different cities whether our family of four might be able to stay with them between matches.

We also created a Plan B in case Spain finished second in its group and traveled through the other side of the bracket.  But we made a conscious decision: We would prepare for Plan B; but operate from Plan A.

It was a major logistical and operational undertaking: moving four people through eight matches, six cities, and two countries over six weeks—while traveling alongside a supporters club of nearly 170 people, some of whom occasionally  needed our home to function as a halfway house between games. Plus working and just doing regular life. 

There were last-minute changes, emotional highs, logistical surprises (like arriving to ATX for a day flight to LAX only to discover Sebastian was booked for the day after! HA!), and moments when none of us was completely sure what day it was, where we were going next, or from where we would take our next work meeting.

But we kept following Plan A. And eventually we found ourselves inside the World Cup Final, watching Spain score in extra time and realizing that the path we had mapped eight months earlier had become real.

This was Plan A.

As our family debriefed after six extraordinary weeks, we realized that we had experienced much more than a football (or soccer for some) tournament.

We had watched a team quietly and consistently make its way toward an enormous goal. We had watched players trust one another, remain composed under pressure, keep believing when the outcome was uncertain, and protect their character when emotions were at their highest.

And, as I tend to do, I walked away with a few leadership lessons from normal life—lessons that had been hiding in plain sight throughout Spain’s journey to becoming world champions.

Lesson #1: Make the Team the Star

When we told friends that our first World Cup match would be Spain against Cabo Verde in Atlanta, almost everyone asked the same question:

“Who does Spain have on the team?”

What they really wanted to know was: Who is the superstar?

Who is Spain’s Messi? Who is the one player we should all be watching?

Don’t get me wrong—Spain had exceptional players. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams could create moments that made an entire stadium stop and watch. Rodri, Pedri and several others were well known to serious soccer fans. But there was not one singular player carrying the identity—or the expectations—of the entire team.

That became clear during the Cabo Verde match in Atlanta.

Spain controlled 75% of the possession and attempted 27 shots. They moved the ball well and created opportunity after opportunity. And yet, they did not score. But they also did not lose. The match ended in a stunning 0–0 draw.

Against nearly everyone’s expectations, Cabo Verde, who also did not have any “single star player” eventually advanced out of the group.

That match gave us two different expressions of the same leadership lesson.

Spain had exceptional talent across the field. But throughout the tournament, responsibility did not sit with one person. Different players stepped forward in different matches. They trusted the pass, covered for one another and understood when the team needed them to lead, create, defend or support.

Cabo Verde showed that a team does not need globally recognized names to compete on a global stage. They combined the amazing goalie Vozinha’s outstanding individual performance with discipline, preparation and a shared determination to compete for every ball. Every player understood what the moment required and delivered his part.

And that is what great leaders build.

They bring together talented people, give them clarity about what the team is trying to accomplish and create an environment where each person’s contribution strengthens everyone else’s. The goal is not for every person to shine in every moment. It is for every person to be ready when the moment belongs to them. Because the strongest teams are not defined by their biggest name.

They are defined by how much becomes possible when everyone plays their part.

Lesson #2: Trust the Way You Win

By the time we reached Guadalajara for Spain’s final group-stage match against Uruguay, several members of our supporters club had invited friends from the city to join us.

During the game, I began talking with a woman sitting next to me. It was her first time seeing Spain play in person.

At one point, she leaned over and said:

“You know, I thought a game with Spain would be more exciting.”

I understood what she meant.

There were no constant attacks racing from one end of the field to the other. There was no flurry of goals. There was no single player putting on a spectacular show.

Spain scored once, when Álex Baena found the net in the 42nd minute.

Then they controlled the match. They held the ball, completed pass after pass, managed the pace and protected the lead. Spain finished with only six attempts and one shot on target. That one shot was enough.

Spain won 1–0, finished at the top of the group and continued on to the knockout stage.

The match may not have looked exciting to everyone watching. But it looked like Spain. They understood their strengths. They were patient with the ball. They trusted one another to make the next pass. And they did not need to manufacture drama to prove they were in control.

Great leaders help teams understand their own way of winning.

They create clarity around the strengths that distinguish the team. They build systems that allow those strengths to work together. And they give people the confidence to execute with discipline, even when their work does not look flashy from the outside.

Success does not always arrive with constant action, visible heroics or a dramatic finish. Sometimes it looks like knowing exactly what your team does well—and trusting it.

The strongest teams know how they win and let the result speak for itself.

Lesson #3: Stay Disciplined Before the Result Appears

After a big win in Los Angeles against Austria, Spain’s next opponent was Portugal in Dallas.

For 90 minutes, we waited.

Spain created opportunities. Portugal defended. The ball moved up and down the field, but the score refused to move with it.

0–0.

Our supporters’ section never stopped singing.

We cheered through every missed opportunity. We stood on the edge of our seats every time Spain moved toward the goal. We groaned, prayed, encouraged—and then started singing again.

As the minutes disappeared, the tension kept rising.

Still, Spain did not abandon the way it played.

They kept moving the ball.

They kept making the pass.

They kept looking for the opening.

Then, in the 91st minute, Pau Cubarsí took a long shot. The goalkeeper blocked it, but Mikel Merino—“Mr. Clutch”—was first to the rebound.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

The stadium erupted!

Spain won 1–0 and moved on to the quarterfinals.

It is easy to trust the process when the scoreboard is rewarding you.

Leadership is harder when the right work has not yet produced a visible result.

That is when teams need leaders who can steady the emotion, reinforce what is working and keep everyone focused long enough for the opportunity to appear.

Spain did not become a championship team in the 91st minute.

The 91st minute revealed the discipline they had shown for the previous 90.

Lesson #4: When the Moment Gets Bigger, So Must You

Before I publish any leadership article, I read it to Sebastian.

Somewhere along the way, it became our tradition. He’s become surprisingly invested in these stories, so this time I asked him a different question.“What leadership lesson did you learn from the World Cup?” He didn’t hesitate.

“¡Juega a muerte!” (Play to the death)

Maybe not the exact wording I would have chosen. But I knew exactly what he meant.

After conceding our first and only goal of the tournament (WC record) against Belgium, the Spanish were hungry for another win.

But, the toughest was yet to come…

France - the favorites, supposedly - we would meet at the semifinal. 

Sitting in the Dallas stadium this time, Spain looked…different.

Not frantic. Not emotional. Just completely locked in.

Every player seemed to understand the magnitude of the moment. They pressed with more purpose. Defended with more urgency. Closed space faster. Every challenge mattered because every inch of the field mattered.

France, one of the tournament favorites, never looked comfortable. Spain dictated the match from the opening whistle and earned a 2–0 victory to reach the World Cup Final.

That is what Sebastian was trying to describe.

The biggest moments demand another gear.

Great leaders recognize those moments. They help people understand what is at stake, bring the team together around a shared purpose, and inspire everyone to give a little more than they thought they had.

The biggest moments don’t ask you to become someone different. They ask you to become more of who you’ve been preparing to be.

Lesson #5: Belief Keeps Possibility Alive

By the knockout rounds, the kids had developed a tradition.

Whenever the match got tense—and there were plenty of those moments against Portugal, Belgium and Argentina—the kids would look at me with complete seriousness and say:

“We need a Grandma’s prayer.”

Their grandmother happened to be in Europe during the tournament, so out came the phone.

They would FaceTime all kinds of hours from North America to Europe.

No discussion.

No debate.

Just a simple request.

“Grandma, will you pray with us?”

Sometimes the connection wasn’t great. Sometimes we couldn’t even hear everything she was saying.

It didn’t matter.

The kids would sit quietly, heads bowed, waiting for her to finish.

Then they would look up, smile, and say:

“Thank you Grandma. Okay. Now Spain can win.”

I always found that moment fascinating. They were choosing belief over fear. When the outcome was uncertain, they refused to surrender hope.

Leaders do the same.

The best leaders don’t promise outcomes they can’t control. They create belief in what is still possible. They help people see a path forward when uncertainty is at its highest. Because when people stop believing, they stop giving everything they have.

Belief doesn't guarantee the outcome. But it keeps people working long enough to make the outcome possible.

Lesson #6: Protect Your Character When the Game Feels Unfair

Throughout the tournament, there were moments when the calls did not go Spain’s way.

Fouls were missed. Decisions felt inconsistent. Emotions ran high. From the stands, it was easy to get frustrated. Very easy.

Sergio, however, kept coming back to the same observation:

“Spain plays with their values intact.”

They competed hard without becoming reckless. They challenged decisions without losing control. They stayed calm enough to keep playing the game in front of them.

That matters because pressure has a way of revealing who we are.

It is easy to lead with composure when everything feels fair, the results are going your way and people are treating you exactly as you hoped they would. The harder test comes when they are not.

Strong leaders can challenge what is wrong without allowing anger to take over. They can defend their teams, speak up and hold the line while still protecting the values they expect everyone else to follow.

Because the way you win matters.

And sometimes the most powerful response to an unfair moment is not retaliation. It is staying focused long enough to win anyway.

Character is not what you protect after the pressure passes. It is what you protect in the middle of it.

Final Thoughts

When Aroa and I mapped out Plan A eight months before the World Cup began, we had no idea whether any of it would happen.

We did not know whether we would get tickets through the lottery.

We did not know whether Spain would win its group.

We did not know whether they would survive the knockout rounds, reach the final or lift the trophy.

We simply decided to prepare for the possibility.

Then, over six extraordinary weeks, we watched a team show us what it takes to turn possibility into an outcome:

Make the team the star.

Trust the way you win.

Stay consistent before the result appears.

Rise when the moment demands more.

Keep belief alive.

Protect your character under pressure.

None of those lessons guarantees success. There were certainly none in the World Cup. But together, they create the conditions for something extraordinary to happen.

That is what I think Aroa and I understood when we looked at each other in the middle of the noise, the tears, the flags and Sebastian’s shirt flying over his head and said...

“This is Plan A!”

Because sometimes, after all the planning, trusting, adapting, believing and work—

Plan A just works.

You Got This!

Jess

P.S. Stay tuned next month for the 2nd edition of Leadership Lessons from the World Cup Fans.

P.S.S. Check out this instagram reel to see a visual depiction of our adventures.