Leadership Lessons from the Bundesliga

Louis Van Gaal's leading Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title this weekend provides good leadership lessons. Being Dutch, one would have expected some cultural difficulties in coaching the equivalent of the New York Yankees in the German top division. In the era of globalization, perhaps this is less important than in the past, but it's still not a given; I am sure that Van Gaal was greeted with some suspicion given the turbulent history between the nations and the national football sides.

Dutch footballers, like their German counterparts, tend to have very strong fundamental, technical skills, unlike U.S. players, for example. So this probably provided a common link in the coach's role, because German sides respect good technique, like a great first touch, passing with both feet, and the ability to hold the ball in traffic.

Bavarian full back Philip Lahm, who has played for the German national side since U19, excoriated Van Gaal's roster selections and his alignment of players in the German press. This is verboten for a German professional athlete. Van Gaal, who is likened by ESPN to Bill Parcells, did not explode into a sea of expletives like the Big Tuna, but instead left it to the team President, Franz Beckenbauer, to levy a large cash fine and say that the behavior was intolerable.

Meanwhile, Van Gaal listened to what Lahm way saying, because he was absolutely right. Soon afterwards, certain players were dropped, certain others played in different positions, and the team's performance took off. Unlike U.S. managers, there was no recrimination against Lahm--business as usual after the fine was paid. Van Gaal, if he came in with a master plan, he must have changed it on the fly a half dozen times, by learning and by dint of circumstance. These are good traits for a coach, teacher, or manager.

Unfortunately, I have a Schalke04 replica jersey that I have to put into the closet next year, as they finished second to a well coached Bayern side.