Luca Gotti has appeared at the XIV International NATO Forum of Unit Commanders specialising in Civil-Military Cooperation at Villa Manin.
Also appearing was captain Bram Nuytinck, in representation of the first-team squad.
Gotti addressed the forum with a speech about leadership.
“It was a great experience to speak to people that operate in areas that are very different to ours and are quite difficult to understand for civilians,” said Gotti, speaking after the event. “I didn’t want to give a lecture about leadership. I just spoke about some of my experiences and my beliefs – right or wrong – about relationships with people, rather than specific leadership. My contribution was well-received, which I’m pleased about. It was a real honour to represent Udinese in a setting like this.”
Below are a few extracts from Gotti’s speech.
“The first problem a Serie A football team has to tackle is the fact that from a 30-man squad, only 11 can start the game. Those players aren’t just people, but ‘companies’, with lawyers, agents, families and representatives. Each of them generates revenue equal to small multinational companies. The players are in competition with one another, but the job of the coach and the coaching staff is to get them to work together to achieve a result.”
“The first thing I ask myself is what characteristics the members of my coaching staff need to have in order to help me in an effective and practical way. In order to make sure that happens, I need to work with people that can contribute ideas, be brave and not just conform. The most important thing is that they’re reliable, because you have to deal with a lot of sensitive information when you work for a Serie A team. Once you’ve got a group of people who are incredibly trustworthy, then you have a good base from which to manage the other group of people (the players).”
“The public only sees the tip of the iceberg of what we do. If you want to be successful, you have to learn from all the mistakes and failures that stay under the water.”
“Some decisions have to be taken following a period of reflection, while others need to be taken instinctively, as soon as something happens. People aren’t judged when things are going well, which I why I think that difficult times are so important. That’s when you realise what kind of people you’re surrounded by.”