Losing face and seeking vengeance

Last week the coach of the German national soccer team, Jogi L?w, informed three of his former high performing players that he would in the future no longer count on their participation in the Mannschaft, and only a couple of minutes later communicate this decision to the German public. Widely covered by the German and international media the heated discussion not only focusses on the technical aspects of this decisions but on the HOW of its communication and impact. Apparently the three players were caught off guard and are now hurt and offended, and the public is taking sides.

While I would not dare to express an opinion about the technical aspects regarding their soccer competencies and skills, this debate has made me reflect about the impact of the way the decision was communicated and what other leaders could learn from this example. Loosing face in the public and feeling treated unfairly are among the most painful emotions and this blow to a person's ego will most likely trigger a strong urge for vengeance. Also this rather cruel behavior by the leader is likely to send a strong signal to the other players of the team which may result not in stronger motivation to play well but in fear and rejection.

What could Jogi have done differently? Could he have found a way of making the players part of the communication to avoid this loss of face? Could he have given them the option of reflecting about and accepting the decision and communicating it themselves to the public? Could he have offered them a way of being part of this decision? I do of course not know the details of the situation and if he tried this, but strongly believe that a leader should make great efforts to avoid putting their team members in such a position. A useful tool to remember in such a situation is the SCARF model developed by David Rock which shows the main social factors that make people feel threatened and instinctively react strongly to defend themselves. One should avoid evoking them.

The fact that L?w himself is under great pressure after the unsuccessful participation of the German team in the last World Championship may actually also have influenced his current behavior. I would predict that the offended players will look for and probably find a way of getting revenge, and that some time in the future Jogi may become the affected party.