The culture skills paradox in sport
In the world of international football, England finds itself at a crossroads. The search for a new national Head Coach is underway, with the Football Association (FA) seeking a successor to Gareth Southgate. While the job description outlines various technical and tactical requirements, one particular criterion stands out: the ability to create a "high-performing, positive team culture and environment."
This emphasis on culture is no accident. Southgate's tenure was marked by near-misses in major tournaments, but his true legacy lies in the transformative team culture he cultivated. He recognised that modern players require a different approach – one built on emotional intelligence, mutual respect, and collaborative spirit.
But here's the paradox: despite culture's outsized impact on team success, it remains largely untaught in formal coaching education in football. The Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) coaching qualifications don't address culture building until you get to the A Diploma, 180 hours into your learning. Lower-level courses touch on creating positive environments, but lack a systematic approach to culture development. Even the England Football Association's (FA) own Technical Director courses give it short shrift.
This gap in coaching education creates a self-perpetuating problem. Organisations like the FA are forced to seek candidates who've independently pursued knowledge on culture-building, often learning through trial and error rather than structured training.
So, what can we learn from this situation?
Culture is a competitive advantage: In both sports and business, a strong, positive culture is often the differentiator between good and great teams.
Leadership education is lagging: Our formal systems for developing leaders are not keeping pace with the evolving needs of modern teams and organisations.
Soft skills have hard impacts: Emotional intelligence and the ability to foster psychological safety are no longer "nice-to-haves" – they're essential leadership competencies.
Learning must evolve: If we want better leaders and stronger cultures, we need to rethink how we educate and prepare people for leadership roles.
The FA's emphasis on culture in their managerial search is a step in the right direction. But it also highlights a broader opportunity: to revolutionise how we teach and develop leaders across all domains. By making culture-building a core part of leadership education, we can equip the next generation of coaches, managers, and executives with the tools they need to create truly high-performing teams.
The question isn't just who will lead England next. It's how we can better prepare all leaders to build the kind of cultures that bring out the best in their people.
That's a goal worth pursuing, both on and off the pitch.