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In football, just as in organisations, there is a question that separates extraordinary teams from merely talented teams: Why do we do what we do? It may seem like a simple question, but it is precisely this question that distinguishes leaders and organisations capable of inspiring from those that merely communicate what they do.

Image: Gettyimages

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model is based on three fundamental dimensions:

• Why – the purpose, the reason for existing;

• How – the principles, values and ways of acting;

• What – the products, results or concrete actions.

Sinek argues that the most inspiring leaders and organisations begin with the Why, because people do not connect only with what we do, but above all with the reason why we do it.

Spain’s victory in the 2026 Football World Cup is an excellent example of this philosophy applied to high performance. More than a team with great players, Spain presented what all great organisations seek to build: a clear identity, a strong culture and a collective purpose.

Talent does not win alone

For many years, football was dominated by a simple idea: the best teams are those with the best players. But the history of major tournaments often demonstrates the opposite, having individual talent is a necessary condition, but it is rarely sufficient.

Winning teams are able to transform individual talent into collective intelligence. Luis de la Fuente’s Spain demonstrated precisely this ability. The analysis of its journey in the World Cup highlighted a team based on control of the game, adaptability, quality with and without the ball, and a strong collective identity, where the real difference was not only in the players available, but in the way those players believed in the same model.

And that is one of the greatest lessons for organisations: extraordinary teams are not groups of extraordinary people; they are groups of people aligned by a common purpose.

WHY: knowing why we play

Sinek’s first circle is the most important: Why, why do we do what we do? A team without purpose can compete, but it can hardly overcome adversity. In Spain’s case, the purpose was associated with a very clear playing identity: dominate through possession; control the moments of the game; take the initiative; value training; trust a new generation of talent. Spain did not simply try to copy the past, it built a new identity. After years of being associated with “tiki-taka”, the Spanish national team reinvented the way it competed, combining possession of the ball with greater verticality, intensity and physical capacity.

This is a fundamental lesson for companies, because organisations that remain tied to the past end up losing relevance, while those that emerge victorious preserve their essence, but reinvent the way they create value.

Image: Escagency

HOW: culture transforms strategy into behaviour

The second circle represents the How, how do we do what we do? This is where many teams and organisations fail: they may have a vision, they may have talent, but they do not have a culture strong enough to transform intention into behaviour. In this area too, Spain presented several elements associated with high-performance teams:

1. Role clarity: Each player knew their responsibility, there was no excessive dependence on a single star, and each element contributed to the collective model. In companies, exactly the same happens. Effective teams need clarity and need to know: who decides? Who executes? Who influences? How do we collaborate? Without clarity, talent turns into conflict;

2. Collective trust: One of Spain’s most striking characteristics was its ability to maintain control even against opponents of enormous quality. The team seemed to believe in the process and did not depend only on the immediate result. This is a common characteristic of high-performance organisations, where trust allows people to make decisions, take risks and learn. Without trust, teams enter defence mode and stop being innovative;

3. Leadership at the service of the team: Luis de la Fuente represents a modern vision of leadership, demonstrating that, more than imposing an identity, he managed to create the conditions for different generations of players to contribute to a common objective, where leadership ceased to be only command and became the creation of context.

In organisations, the best leaders are not those who have all the answers, they are those who can create teams capable of finding answers.

WHAT: results are the consequence

The third circle is the most visible, What, What do we do? In football, it is important to win matches, score goals and win titles. In companies, we need to sell more, grow, innovate and generate results. There is, however, an important reflection: Results are a consequence, they are not the starting point! Many organisations begin with the “What”, focusing their energy on topics such as “Qhat product are we going to launch?” “What technology are we going to implement?” “What financial objective do we want to achieve?” and often forget the essential question: “Why does this matter?” Spain showed that results appear when there is alignment between purpose, culture and execution.

From the Spanish national team to organisations

Spain’s victory leaves several lessons for business leaders. Great teams begin with purpose: identity comes before strategy, people need to know where they are going and why it is worth going there. Culture is the organisation’s operating system: processes can be copied, technology can be bought, but culture takes years to build and it is what determines how people work when no one is watching.

The collective surpasses the individual: companies often remain obsessed with “stars”, but great results appear when there is cooperation between different talents. Leadership creates the conditions for talent to emerge: a coach does not score goals, a CEO does not carry out every task, but both create the environment where others can give their best.

Conclusion:

Champion organisations begin with the Why, the 2026 Football World Cup demonstrated once again a truth that goes beyond sport: talent wins matches, but purpose wins championships. Spain won because it managed to transform talented players into a team with identity.

Article by Sérgio Almeida, in partnership with Vida Económica.