#182: Professor Jordi Diaz Gibson discusses Lionel Messi, the Barca system, and how leaders can build and sustain a team with and beyond their superstars

Every coach wants a superstar on the team! But coaching and leading a great player is not always easy as leaders attempt to foster an entire organization. Lionel Messi was the greatest player in the history of the game, and his journey illustrates some complex leadership decisions that Barca needed to make in order to sustain success during and beyond his tenure with the team. In this fourth episode on the Barca case with Professor Jordi, we discussed:

1.     Review of past weeks – the history of Barca, the impact of Cruyff, and the importance of La Masia.

2.     Messi’s journey to La Masia and the club as a young player. “It was a perfect environment for him.”

3.     “The talent is enhanced by the system.”

4.     Messi’s early success with the club.

5.     Messi as a leader. “He was shy…He was a leader in a different way…He didn’t speak very much in the dressing room…but the place where he was speaking was on the field…He created the glue that sustained the team in many ways.”

6.     “He understood very well that the system needed to be in place in order for the team to evolve.”

7.     Dilemmas that faced the team during Messi’s later years with the team. Balancing salary, fit, and other variables. Long-term vision.

8.     Post-Messi, the club re-invested in its values and La Masia – to reach the championship again.

9.     The importance of belonging, belief and connectedness. 

10.  The enduring legacy of Barca as it plays out through Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta and others.