Culture First: What the Elite Soccer Nations Tell Us About The Power Of Culture

Since the World Cup began in 1930, there have been 19 World Cup finals played. However more interesting is the fact that there have only been 8 countries that have earned the bragging rights of a World Cup title. The always entertaining Brazil leads the way with 5 titles, Italy is next with 4, Germany has earned 3, Uruguay and Argentina each have 2 and England, France and Spain each have 1 World Cup title. Clearly only a few nations have established themselves as soccer powers in the World Cup. It is an elite club. What is also interesting is that these nations also produce the best players in the world over and over again. With the exception of Uruguay perhaps, these teams did not rely on a short period of a talented pool of players. Success has been enduring and more about the country rather than about a specific group of players.

Every year since 1991, FIFA has honored the world's best player of the year with the FIFA world player of the year award. The FIFA world player of the year is voted on by players and coaches and is not solely dependent on international play but also club play. This gives players like George Weah (winner in 1995), an opportunity despite the fact that he hadn't appeared in a World Cup and his country of Liberia is a nobody when it comes to international competition. The world player of the year award also acknowledges a second and third place honoree. Since 1991, a total of 70 players have been honored by FIFA in this competition (23 winners, 23 2nd place honorees and 24 3rd place honorees - there was a tie for 3rd in 1997). Of the 70 players honored, an astonishing 53 of them (18 of the 23 1st place winners) represent a nation that has a World Cup title in its history.

What makes these countries such elite powerhouses in the soccer world and consistent producers of the best players on the planet?

This is not Major League Baseball where you can buy a championship. Brazil and Argentina are not exactly financial powers in the world and they also have mediocre youth leagues. Sure Italy, Spain and England have great club level leagues that may serve as a pipeline for developing talent but that is open to all players as most recent world player of the year winner Cristiano Ronaldo is an example of as he is from Portugal but plays his club level soccer in Spain for Real Madrid. The simple answer to this interesting question is Culture. These nations have produced a consistent culture in their soccer systems that have led to winning.

Culture creates a way of operating that goes beyond the individual and produces a winning system. Only a strong system will endure for the long term and create compounding success. Look at elite Brazil who won its first title in 1958 and its most recent in 2002. Germany won its first title in 1954 and its most recent in 1990. Both are among the favorites for this year's tournament. These countries have had long term success that spans decades and it is no coincidence that you can immediately identify Brazil with its exciting and creative style and Germany with its efficient and organized approach. Although different, over the years, each has remained relatively constant in its chosen approach despite changes in players, coaches and conditions. In short, they have developed their culture and stuck with it.

Culture has a way of elevating an entire team. Perhaps this elevating property is the most successful aspect of culture and why it is so powerful. Culture clearly defines success within a system, self polices outliers and breeds a mindset for winning that drives everyone within that system to maximize output and fit. The greatest player to ever play the game, Pele, is an example of how culture elevated those around him to create the often forgotten greatest team ever to play the game. It went beyond Pele, it was the system that created multiple compliments to Pele and produced multiple World Cup victories The system continued on to create other greats such as Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho. Contrast this to the underachieving of Portugal in the Luis Figo era (Figo won the world player of the year in 2001). It's not just about the star player, it's about the system that breeds collective success and then compounds to create even more success in the future.

Culture is the greatest differentiator to any long term success. Soccer is a great example of this but this can be applied to business success as well. How has GE endured such success for over 100 years? How has Walmart completely changed the way we view retail in such a short time? It all starts with their strong cultures. It is very popular to say that the customer is always first, but I'm going to argue that culture should be first. Drive a culture that works for your vision and methodically build within that framework and you will win over and over again, just like the elite soccer nations.