Episode 1 - Pre-Season Warmup

Welcome to my first newsletter which I have been contemplating doing for a few months now. This will be a bit of a step into the unknown but I am here to learn and evolve over the coming weeks and months and I hope it provides some interest thoughts, conversations and debate.

I haven’t settled on a cadence for this newsletter yet, but will likely be weekly or as and when something sparks a thought in my brain ?? I drafted a few posts on LinkedIn in the last 6 months on this subject which got a decent amount of impressions. So I wanted to make this a bit more structured and regular and go beyond the regular post format

What to expect

Having worked in Talent Acquisition for 10 years and from watching football pretty much all my life, it always struck me how there are so many overlaps in how both teams/businesses operate. With football clubs having evolved into fully global businesses over the last 20+ years, one of the critical aspects has now become recruitment - which has evolved beyond just players to the manager, coaching staff, back room staff, scouting network, data analytics team etc etc etc

So by spending some time looking at how these clubs operate and build their team (and business structure) for success, there are great insights and examples that can be leveraged by talent acquisition teams in every industry. And I want this newsletter to be a conversation starter where possible and more than happy if it creates debate or further thought.

Where to start

Where better than from the match yesterday between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Most people would agree that Liverpool have had one of the best teams in the world in the past 3 to 4 years, but the drop off this year has been significant. From a team challenging for 4 trophies last season to zero this season (realistically) questions have been raised on the continued reliance on aging players and lack of investment in new talent.

The solution seems to be focused on the midfield, with a significant signing like Jude Bellingham being mooted as the answer. But after yesterday’s result there are now comments being made on the defence and a need for investment here.

So what can Talent Acquisition learn from this?

Finding the Right Replacements

Let’s face it. Most TA folks will not stay with the same company for their entire career in much the same way most footballers are not one-man clubs. And success and achievement in one role will always open the door for opportunities elsewhere. So the solution is really ensuring you find the right replacement when your top performer resigns and moves on to pastures new. This is probably where Liverpool have gone wrong as they have never replaced Gini Wijnaldum since when left in 2021 with the right player. If you want to operate (play) the same and keep the team balance you have built the you need to find the right replacement.

The grass isn’t always greener

If you take Gini Wijnaldum as the example, he wanted to move on to PSG for a new challenge and challenge for bigger prizes. Your team member that has resigned probably has the same thoughts and aspirations. But this doesn’t always work out as planned and Gini is a good example here. So can you provide them with a counter offer to retain the team balance and skill set? I know there is much written about how employees that are retained usually still leave in the next 12 months, but is this enough time to upskill a suitable successor? Leading onto….

Have a Succession Plan in place

This is probably one of the most difficult things to do at multiple role levels in TA and the same is reflected in football. But there are examples where this can be done, although at some point you will always run out of people. Brighton are probably the best example of this right now in the English Premier League, where they have been able to sell 2 star players in Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard yet not look any weaker for doing so. Having ready made replacements in Estupinan and Mitoma who have come in and hit the ground running has made these losses more acceptable and not weakened the team in any way.

So is this something you can do within your team? As I said, not the easiest thing to do, especially when the market is a little gloomy. But becoming the “next Brighton” could be what keeps your company afloat through the tough times.

Stick to the Structure

TA is always evolving and improving - whether that is through people, skills or technology. And like football the game will never be the same as 5, 10, 20 years ago. But if your TA team has a 5 years plan that aligns to your company vision, then it is very likely you have a structure you have built that you want to keep in place. So consider replacements as a like-for-like where possible. If you start tinkering with the system and moving people, teams around to accommodate gaps when people leave then you are likely going to create more challenges in the long run. It won’t be easy to find the next Gini Wijnaldum or Jordan Henderson as that level of skill set may not be available/interested at the time. But it is key you find the person that fits into the same structure you have built and develop them into the role and team.

End Notes

So that’s my thoughts for this week and I hope you have enjoyed reading this take on Talent Acquisition and Football. Some of the points listed above may even become newsletter topics of their own as this is just scratching the surface really. I welcome any comments and feedback and hope you continue to follow this newsletter ??