The Refreshing Audacity of Antonio Conte
Saying ‘No’ with confidence & navigating managerial tightropes
Antonio Conte is an Italian Football Manager. He has won the Italian League 4 times, and the English League once with Chelsea. Notably, his victories in Italy were split between two fierce arch-rivals: Inter and Juventus. He is one of the elites of this generation.
Despite these remarkable achievements, Conte has consistently faced criticism at every club he has managed. The primary issue revolves around his clashes with club management - essentially, going against his own employers. His clashes with higher management often stem from his open criticisms during press conferences. He demands more resources or specific operational changes, which sometimes don’t fit the management’s preferences.
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But Antonio doesn’t care. For instance, after he won the league with Inter, the club faced financial constraints due to the pandemic, yet he stood firm in expressing his needs. Eventually, both parties went their separate ways. He left the club within 1 week after lifting the trophy.
While some fans find Conte’s behaviour irksome, I now find it as refreshing. It reveals a manager who exudes confidence in his abilities and refuses to compromise merely because he draws a paycheck. In corporate India, however, such assertiveness is rare among managers. Many play it safe, avoiding pushback from their employers. Unfortunately, this cautious approach often burdens subordinates, leading to a subpar work culture and suboptimal outcomes.
On the other hand, the “Antonio Contes” of the corporate culture are confident about their ability so they can say no easily. They know what projects to work on and what to pass. They can firmly push back unnecessary menial work requests because they are confident that it is not the best use of their time & resources. They are confident about themselves. Insecurity about work is something that is non-existent for them.
This is one reason why I’ve come to appreciate Conte’s professional demeanour even more, especially when he’s willing to walk away without a next destination lined up. One can only do that when he/she is confident about his/her capabilities.
One downside of this is that you don’t end up having a “professional legacy” in an organisation. This holds true not only in the footballing world but also in the corporate industry. But does that actually matter? Specially when you can be the driver of your own destiny?
But then again, confidence is a tricky thing, a double-edged sword. It is the food of the wise man and the liquor of the fool. So one may need to be a bit cautious!
On another note, as someone in my late twenties, I recognize that my perspective on confidence may differ from that of someone who has dependents and is relying on a steady income. For them, factors beyond confidence and competence come into play when making career decisions.
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