With Euro 2020 kicking off this week, England manager Gareth Southgate published an open letter regarding the special group of players that he is managing, which also touched on the increasing role that social media is playing in the players’ lives.
The letter contains some gems on creating winning cultures and the conditions for success through inclusive leadership, as well as how to inspire and motivate teams to deliver high performance under pressure.
Even if you are not a football fan, this open letter offers a lot of useful lessons. My biggest takeaway is that social media can be a powerful tool for connecting with fans but also allows unwanted and unwarranted abuse of the players.
Below are some of the key points quoted from the open letter. We recommend reading the full letter here.
“Social media has been a key resource in giving our players a platform and has been a positive tool in so many ways. In fact, I feel like this generation of England players is closer to the supporters than ever.
That said, I see players scrolling on their phones straight after the final whistle and I think … Hmmm, is that a particularly good idea?
Reading abusive comments on Twitter or Instagram is never going to help performance.
The last 18 months have put added pressure on everyone, I know. Venting that might have taken place while walking out of the stadium, or in the pub has been transferred online. I get that. However, there are things I will never understand.
Why would you tag someone in on a conversation that is abusive?
Why would you choose to insult somebody for something as ridiculous as the colour of their skin?
Why?
Unfortunately for those people that engage in that kind of behaviour, I have some bad news. You’re on the losing side. It’s clear to me that we are heading for a much more tolerant and understanding society, and I know our lads will be a big part of that.”
