Private View Blog: Chelsea’s single-minded shot stopper provides lesson in leadership
Chelsea FC’s goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta has been accused of “mutiny”. His “crime” was to ignore the commands of his boss, manager Maurizio Sarri, to leave the field and be substituted. The dispute happened just before a penalty shoot-out, which would decide the Carabao Cup Final at London’s Wembley Stadium.
While the keeper has been vilified by fans, pundits and former players, we need a more rational look at these events. We are talking about a young shot stopper, still in his early 20s. The penalty shoot-out is a dramatic sequence, where the “goalies” become heroes, their names written into the history books.
Commentators talk about insubordination to the boss. But Chelsea has always had a revolving door to the manager’s office. More than half a century has passed since the appointment of a manager who would serve the club for more than four seasons. The players at Stamford Bridge have always been more important and powerful than the managers, especially during the era of ownership by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who has at times personally sanctioned the purchase of players, ignoring the manager.
Football, like business, finance and politics, is more used to key players refusing to take responsibility, blaming others or trying to cover up their tracks, than it is looking to those who seize the nettle and try to lead by example.
There have been many cases of top players refusing to step up to take penalties or failing to volunteer, leaving the task to less talented but more eager colleagues. True, Mr Arrizabalaga let one weakly struck penalty squirm under his body in the ensuing shoot-out. But he saved another with aplomb. His dedication to his team’s cause, volunteering to face up to some of the world’s leading players trying to beat him from 12 yards, should be lauded, not derided.
The UK is currently in a mess due to lack of this type of leadership by example. A grey mass of Tory and Labour politicians are allowing a vibrant economy and multicultural society to be destroyed and slip towards the abyss of Brexit, with barely a whimper of dissent. Former prime minister David Cameron, architect of much of the chaos which the UK currently finds itself in, still maintains he did nothing wrong in calling the referendum, and continues to make personal appearances, offering advice on political issues.
Cabinet members who told blatant untruths about the Brexit process have not admitted to their role in the debacle.
The same was true of the Global Financial Crisis. Finance ministers blamed economic forces, while the bankers took bonuses, pay-offs and are now re-emerging to sell risky products once more.
Those private banks which sold the funds “managed” by New York fraudster Bernie Madoff have never named and shamed the many employees responsible for choosing and overseeing the funds. Their leaders have generally sidestepped questions about the process involved.
Of course, there are exceptions. German chancellor Angela Merkel has been prepared to lead, to take on responsibilities which others have shirked, financially, economically and politically, even if all of her decisions have not been correct.
In the private banking world, Juerg Zeltner, who was at the helm of the world’s biggest wealth management franchise at UBS for so long, led by example. He helped negotiate deals with the US authorities to pay for the bank’s past sins. And most importantly of all, he apologised to the banking world for not setting a good enough example and to clients for selling them inappropriate, volatile and opaque products. Nobody forced him to do this, but Mr Zeltner wanted to set an example for other private banks and to lead.
Life coaches and consultants in the private banking and asset management worlds tell me about plenty of CEOs who cannot even draw up a three-point strategy for the future direction of their bank or fund house, despite being paid millions to do so.
The round tables and discussion forums hosted by PWM show there are young leaders – including more women and more of those from minority backgrounds – with vision now coming through the ranks, although not enough of them are willing to stick their heads above the parapet, for fear of being marginalised. So let’s not be too harsh on a young sportsman who showed some passion, resilience and belief in his own abilities.
Yuri Bender is editor-in-chief of Professional Wealth Management. Follow him on Twitter @YuriBender
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