In another WhatsApp wall shared by former employees of a private school, a colleague forwarded a post about the sacking of football stars. Yes, football stars who were let go by their coaches—not for lack of skill, but for indiscipline. That got me thinking. Conventionally, we associate dismissal with non-performance.
At our former workstation, our boss would often say, “Sacking a star staff is a sin.” We grew up in a system that made us believe that performance buys immunity. That it is hard, almost unthinkable, to fire a top performer. But this post suggested something refreshingly different—performance doesn’t buy immunity. Stardom must never buy indiscipline.
Football, as they say, is more than just a game. For any astute business leader, it’s a real-life MBA in leadership, discipline, and the relentless safeguarding of organizational culture. Take Pep Guardiola, arguably one of the greatest football minds of our time. When Pep releases or benches a top-tier player like Kevin De Bruyne, questions fly and murmurs fill the room. But for those who follow the game closely, it’s a familiar script. It’s classic Guardiola—unapologetically protective of the team culture.
The same approach reverberates through the career of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s legendary manager. Ferguson once benched and eventually parted ways with heavyweights like David Beckham, Roy Keane, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. These weren’t average players—they were legends. Yet Ferguson’s message remained steadfast and unmistakable: no one, absolutely no one, is bigger than the team.
This is not just football strategy. It is pure, distilled corporate wisdom. Recently, a CEO of M&J Africa, a consulting firm based in Zimbabwe, shared a reflection that borrowed heavily from the Ferguson-Guardiola playbook. She recounted the story of a high-performing salesperson who brought in serious revenue and had clients swooning. But this star employee became the embodiment of indiscipline. She arrived late, dressed unprofessionally, and violated the company’s values without remorse. When called out, she didn’t show contrition—she gave ultimatums.
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And that’s when the CEO made the brave call to let her go.
It wasn’t because she was unproductive—on the contrary, she was brilliant. But talent without discipline is a loaded gun. The CEO didn’t draw the line at performance; she drew it at culture. It was a decision not driven by ego but by values—a nod to the clarity and courage that make Ferguson and Guardiola legends in leadership.
Culture is the invisible force behind performance. In many organizations, culture is something ornamental—a plaque on the wall, a bullet point in the HR manual. But in elite organizations—whether on the pitch or in the boardroom—culture is the oxygen that fuels productivity. It’s the invisible contract that dictates how people show up, collaborate, and grow.
Talent can win games. But only culture wins seasons. One of the most dangerous myths in corporate life is the belief that performance grants immunity. That if someone consistently meets targets, closes deals, or dazzles clients, they earn the right to misbehave. That belief has derailed many promising ventures. The truth is, great organizations rarely fall from external threats—they rot from within when values are compromised by brilliant but toxic individuals.
The CEO at M&J Africa understands this at a profound level. Running a consulting firm in Zimbabwe—against the backdrop of currency instability, political uncertainty, and economic turbulence—is no small feat. Yet, for over a decade, the company has paid salaries in hard currency, on time. That kind of consistency isn’t powered by one superstar. It’s sustained by a disciplined, values-driven, and united team. The decision to sack the star performer was not a tantrum. It was an act of survival.
Leaders must be more than talent managers. They must be custodians of culture. This is a truth that should resonate with every school principal, startup founder, NGO director, and CEO. Leadership is not about pampering talent. It is about preserving the team’s soul. If you let one person bend the rules, others will follow. If you ignore disrespect because someone delivers, resentment grows. If you compromise your standards to keep a “rainmaker,” you send a dangerous message to the rest: our values are negotiable.
And when values become negotiable, collapse is inevitable. Guardiola’s courage to sideline a Zlatan, sell a Ronaldinho, or rotate a world-class player mid-season doesn’t stem from arrogance—it stems from clarity. He knows the kind of team chemistry he needs. He understands the dressing room dynamics. He’s willing to lose a match or even a trophy to protect the long-term health of the club. That is precisely the kind of lens every leader must wear.
There is wisdom in this that transcends sports. It applies to school leadership, corporate boards, faith-based organizations, and every space where people work together. The best leaders are not those who hoard talent. They are those who defend the culture even when it means parting ways with talent. Because one brilliant but toxic employee can unravel everything the team stands for.
This is not a call to fire people impulsively. It is a call to be brave in upholding your values. If you’re leading a team and you have someone who is skilled but corrosive, charming but chaotic, talented but disrespectful—you’ve got a hard choice to make. Not a popular one. Not an easy one. But a necessary one.
Like Sir Alex and Pep, choose the team over the star. Choose long-term integrity over short-term applause. Choose culture over chaos.
Because in this beautiful game of business, there will come moments when you must release someone once considered indispensable. Do it with grace. But do it without apology. Because when culture is right, the scoreboard eventually takes care of itself.
And that, as Pep and Ferguson would tell you, is how you win the league—in football and in business.
Kamomonti wa Kiambati
Kamomonti is a teacher of English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub County.
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