The Game.
December 2022 Lusail Stadium, Qatar - Argentina are playing France in the World Cup final.
It’s Lionel Messi’s last chance at the one trophy that's eluded him in his career so far. An incredible final that ended 3-3 after extra time. It goes to penalties.
Enzo Fernández is 21 years old. He's played half a season at Benfica. This is only his seventh cap for Argentina. He's never taken a penalty in a World Cup. The pressure is unimaginable.
When it's his turn, he didn’t hesitate. Unimaginable pressure.
He steps-up. He scores.
Argentina win the World Cup.
After the match, reporters asked Fernández how he handled the pressure. His answer was simple:
"I wanted to take it. I felt ready."
He didn't wait for a more experienced player, or someone with more caps. He didn't wait for someone to tell him he was ready.
He decided he was ready, and stepped up.
The best players don't wait for permission. They take responsibility when the moment demands it.
The Analysis.
In business, most people wait to be ‘ready’. They wait for more experience. They wait for someone to give them the green light. They wait until they feel confident enough, qualified enough, experienced enough.
They wait until it's ‘safe’.
But the biggest opportunities don't come when you're ready. They are there now, and if you're waiting for perfect readiness, someone else will take them.
Readiness is a decision, not a feeling.
Sheryl Sandberg writes about this in ‘Lean In’:
"If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat. Just get on. The opportunity won't wait until you've ticked every box on your mental checklist.”
Most leaders struggle with this. They promote cautious people who wait for instructions over bold people who take initiative. They reward experience over courage and value safety over readiness to step-up.
Then they wonder why their team lacks ownership.
Because ownership isn't taught, it's modelled. If your culture rewards waiting for permission, you'll never build a team that steps-up when it matters.
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, says:
"If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late.”
The same applies to leadership moments.
If you wait until you're perfectly ready, you've waited too long.
Your business is full of moments like this. High-pressure decisions, uncertain outcomes and opportunities that won't wait.
The Reflection.
What opportunity are you waiting to feel ‘ready’ for, when you should just step up?
Best,
Daniel Holloway
Founder, Sport of Business
P.S. Know someone building a business who thinks like an athlete? Forward this to them. The best performances are by those who understand the game.