Day by day in Chile and around the world, many companies and organizations wonder how to improve their results. They review again and again what their problem is and conclude—either on their own or with the help of their advisors—that the problem is a lack of an adequate strategy. 

However, the recent history of the Chilean national football team suggests adopting a different perspective. Let’s go back to 2007—poor results, division in the locker room (not that there isn’t any now…) and widespread discontent among a nation that is insatiably fanatical about this sport. This string of events culminated in the infamous “Puerto Ordazo.” The situation called for change, and the ANFP decided to part ways with the technical staff and bring in coach Marcelo Bielsa, who arrived with a project to “professionalize” the national team’s football and, apparently, a “better strategy.” 

What was this “better strategy”? Let’s look at the facts: 

• Bielsa asked for “long-term results”—although this request goes against what organizations with problems usually expect, it was a significant point that the ANFP accepted it: The results are the “consequence of a process.” In teams of people, one cannot simply “buy” the players and thus success. Teams must learn to know each other, understand their strengths and capabilities, and above all, perform “as a team”—only then can they reach their maximum potential. 

• As reported by the newspaper El Mundo en esa época (August 2007): “To accept the challenge, Bielsa demanded significant changes in discipline, infrastructure, and command authority over the coaches of the youth teams. The intervention plan included everything from remodeling bathrooms and fields in the training centers to establishing a strict disciplinary manual.” 

• Shortly after arriving and in line with his thinking, he decided to focus his work and no longer consider those players who were sanctioned for indiscipline—the “sacred cows”—generating uncertainty: What will we do without them? “There’s surely no chance of success…” And in parallel, he called up some “unknown” players at that time to his team. 

Why would Bielsa make these decisions? 

Marcelo Bielsa, likely a student of his profession, a perfectionist with extensive experience, was very clear on what every company needs first to be successful: A prepared team. In this case, Bielsa needed to prepare “players of excellence” because, in a highly competitive environment like the current one, without elite athletes, no strategy will work. 

He then initiates a very rigorous work and physical training plan, with an intensity that many of these professionals, especially those on the local scene, had never seen before. Even in 2014, during his time at Olympique, the media commented on his training: “Marcelo Bielsa’s intensity wore out his players,” reflecting the rigor and discipline with which he approached every preparation task. 

At the same time, Bielsa was gradually putting his strategy into practice: a lot of pressing the opponent, attacking with the forwards, adding many players to the attack, ensuring that the players surpassed the old concepts where a forward only attacks, and a defender only defends… multiplying functionality and then the presence of his players on the field. A novel strategy? Perhaps you already sense that this is not the powerful question in this case. 

After some time and as we witnessed, the results began to appear. Do you remember how? 

Chronology 

1. End of Copa América 2007 – “Puerto Ordazo”: Chile FIFA Ranking 47. (Cooperativa, August 2007) 
2. “Marcelo Bielsa was hired as the national team coach” (El Mercurio, August 2007) 
3. “Chile loses to Paraguay, but begins to show interesting play” (El Mercurio, November 2007) 
4. “Yes, sir, Chile beat Argentina” (Cooperativa, October 2008) 
5. “Chile’s historic triumph over Colombia that qualified them for South Africa 2010” (Cooperativa, October 2009)  
6. Chile surpasses the group stage in South Africa 2010 (EFE, June 2010) 
7. Chile achieves first place in the group and finishes in fifth place in Copa América 2011 (EFE, 2011) 
8. FIFA ranking places Chile as the 14th best team in the world (La Tercera, February 2011) 

This was the result of the beginning of a glorious and historic process for national football, followed by a less successful period with Claudio Borghi, and later with Jorge Sampaoli. Finally, almost at the end of Pizzi’s era, the team managed to reach the Nº2 in the FIFA world rankings. 

A team born without many stars, that forms discipline and develops its potential, which consolidates as a team (11 years playing “together,” getting to know each other, and refining the strategy’s application) through a constant and rigorous process, achieving something unimaginable for many: consolidating among the best in the world. 

In line with this reflection, if you and your company are asking yourselves why today’s results are not as expected, we invite you first to ask yourselves—just as Bielsa did at the start of his tenure in Chile—if your team is prepared to understand and then execute a strategy… 

If you believe the answer is no, it is time to start working on preparing the team first—only then will they be able to adequately execute your strategy.