The objective that I had set myself to complete this section of the culminating project was to find a video that represented the mindset with which I grew up and fulfilled the requests. I watched and analyzed dozens of videos, but they were missing something. Finally, one evening, while I was scrutinizing a video about the analysis of the possibilities present in the Italian territory (Here is the link if it might interest you), I remembered a book I read in 2016: "What is the taste to make the referee: football without the balls between the feet" by Nicola Rizzoli. At that moment, I also remembered this speech of 2019 at the TEDx in Verona made by the author.
But who is Nicola Rizzoli? Nicola Rizzoli is a former football referee, a former referee designator in Italy and a former responsible for the referees and the VAR project in Ukraine. Among his most important directions are to highlight: 2 UEFA Champions League finals and the 2014 World Cup final between Argentina and Brazil [In video].
In addition to the great esteem I have for Mr. Rizzoli, I chose this video because I was struck by the topic. During the semester, we tackled the Decision-making process, and I found it deeply fascinating as a topic, but at the same time, I felt that something was missing in the explanation. This video enlightened me on this lack, as it made me understand that the basis of the decision-making process is the same in all areas, but this must be shaped to fit perfectly to your field. I was struck by how the focus changes for the timing of applying it and, in particular, the metaphor of the equation it uses over the course of the video ("A soccer game [...] is like an equation of 100 variable, and you have to solve it in a minute. Impossible."), and how he tries to solve 50% of the variables before going into the field(“If we know […] 50 of the 100 variables the equation is simpler”). This optimizes the decision-making process for the moment when the peak of the performance comes, that is, the match.
As managers, we are not facilitated by a book of rules that tells us step by step how to react to a given situation, as can be the regulation of the game of football. But this does not justify us not being ready for every eventuality, such as a pandemic. In 2020, we were all caught off guard by this biological entity called SARS-CoV-2, but at the same time - at least in Italy - we realized how unprepared we were for such an event. In fact, during the health crisis, it was revealed that the National Health Plan, was not updated to the pre-covid situation, but a decade before. Would anything have changed? Probably not. But we were not ready.
In my opinion, when we need to plan the goals and strategies of our company, we must apply Murphy’s law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Most chances are that most of the possibilities will not come true, but we, in the worst case, will be ready to counteract adversity.
To quote the video and anticipate one of the sentences of the last section: at each variable is solved the equation becomes simpler, but we must always keep in mind that "Per Aspera ad Astra", through hardships to the stars.
In conclusion, the message that transmits the video should be repeated in this course, as it shows how all four functions of management come together to achieve success, whether it is a company, or the arbitration of a ball game. At the same time he warns students about the danger of the surprise effect, which can be fatal, in any situation, from everyday life (A sudden expense, an accident that brings a drastic change in your life-style, etc.) management of important companies, such as google and Apple.
