Just in case you didn’t know, the 20th FIFA World Cup kicked off in Brazil on Thursday.

“What’s that got to do with business?” you may ask.

Well dribbling past the fact that football is big business – we think that some important business lessons can be learnt from the actual football pitch.

A friend inspired me to talk on this to you ….

Don’t underestimate truly exceptional talent.

Just ask the Argentinians about El Diego.

Football – You know Maradona is possibly the greatest player that the beautiful game has ever produced and in Mexico ‘86, where Argentina won the World Cup, he was at the peak of his powers. His incredible talent was particularly evident against England in the quarter finals when he scored ‘the goal of the century’.

Business – Don’t underestimate how far a brilliant individual can take you. Always be on the hunt for exceptional talent… this can take you a very long way. Identify this talent in your organization/team.