I don’t mean to break the hearts of HR and career bloggers out there, but the World Cup has nothing to do with work.
There are no real parallels.
Work is not a game. There are problems to be solved and issues to be addressed. People in the real world work hard to cure cancer. They build roads and bridges. Kids are educated, food is harvested, and garbage is hauled away. In exchange for effort, people are paid salaries.
That’s work. It’s pretty simple. And it has nothing to do with sports.
Soccer is celebrity and flash. It’s drama and yellow cards. There’s a hot guy who may be gay and there’s an octopus who can pick World Cup winners.
How is this like your job? It’s not.
If I had a job where I worked with a hot dude (gay or not) and an octopus, I would still be in Human Resources. With my candy dish, yo.
The World Cup is fun to watch (sorta) and Ronaldo is dreamy, but there are no parallels to your job or your career.
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
Speak for yourself. Well, except for the flash and hot guys part. We do have a candy dish, though.
I dunno. Ronaldo or candy? Hm.
What the hell is the World Cup???? I play a game where we kick the ball around but we call it Kick Ball!!
Although I do think it might make our jobs more fun if we had someone who was as enthusiastic as that soccer announcer who screams when a goal is scored. High Deductible Healllllth Plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!!
FMLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
You mean we broke the Twitter for nothing???
OK, but surely there is a parallel for the Lebron Watch…Nobody is working today. Everyone is glued to the TV waiting for his big announcement, no? Everyone but me, that is.
Lebron who?
Shouldn’t they just make the World Cup as part of the Olympics? Its as LAME as the Olympics. Seriously, I have a fantasy football (not futbol) team to draft soon so I have to focus on off-season NFL happenings in order to be ready!
You don’t make money on the olympics and FIFA makes a shit-ton of money on the world cup.
The only thing I’ve seen that’s longer than that record setting match at Wimbeldon is EVERY FREAKING WORLD CUP GAME.
Look Ma, no hands!
Tennis, golf, world cup soccer. Things that should not be televised.
Dude, I disagree. I think many HR groups can make fairly accurate comparisons to the World Cup and what they do, thankfully, I’m not at on organization like this, but those of you that are know who you are:
*You are happy to settle for a tie.
*Just like the vuvuzela nerds, you make lots of noise but don’t really make a difference in whether your team wins or not.
*You profession captures rare and only marginal interest in where it really matters (sorry rest of the world, the US isn’t in to soccer, neither are the majority of other economic powerhouses).
Again, I’m glad I’m not part of that kind of HR team, but many are.
If I ever go back to Corporate HR, I’m bringing a vuvuzela to meetings.
Wait……. you mean I could bring a vuvuzela to work! That would be AWESOME! I am imagining my Sr VP of HR right now.
I agree the World Cup is not an accurate assessment for HR since the only requirement is that you’re good and condition, and if you’re born in that country or your parents have two different nationalities that you have dual citizenship. Club teams are different since they can spend $500 Million (not an exaggeration) for 20 players. It’s an HR dream to not have a budget.
BTW, what is up with the name Rolando and men? (Article is Ronaldo (no relation to Christian Rolando) picking up transvestites) http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/04/ronaldo_questio.php
That will be Christian Ronaldo*
I like him gay, straight, surrogate wives, hookers, transvestites. Whatever.
LOL
Thank you.
I find the same loss of connection when people try to find parallels to any sports team and work teams. Baseball, football, hockey are not like work!
No matter how you try to define your team and live out your dreams of being a professional athlete, your office is not a sports team.
In the past month 3 college professors sent me articles comparing the World Cup and teams to work teams. I read these and scratch my head.
I thought I was the only one who did not get the comparison.
No, thank you for having some common sense!
If you’re creative, you can draw parallels between just about anything. Fairy tales and HR? Why not? Plus then you get to make yourself a fairy godmother (or a wicked witch if you prefer).
If you’re creative and looking to capture some of the SEO traffic from the World Cup – well then. You make the World Cup become representative of your trials and tribulations in the office and use the words “World Cup jobs” a lot.
Snap, I need to work on my SEO skills.
If I ever go the Drag queen route, my stage name is going to be Lady Vevuzula.
I dig the spectacle of the World Cup. I wouldn’t open my drapes if MLS was playing in my front yard, but I watch the World Cup.
And you’re right, it doesn’t have any translation to the real world of work. But then, I’ve never been a fan of making sports analogies to work, or war analogies in sports, so what do I know.
Sorry Rob, but the thought of you as a drag queen has me cracking up. thanks for the mental image.
I said IF, John. And that’s a BIG IF.
I’d see that drag show revue in a heartbeat.
My drag name would be Tequila Mockingbird. Tawdriness, social justice, great literature, *and* alcohol, all in one.
You’re right– at least there’s a semblance of teamwork when they’re running up the pitch — but in the real world, people will stab you in the back to get thier kid’s braces.
I would stab someone in the face. That’s how I roll.
I’m an HR Professional in Canada and just after I read your blog, I saw this article on one of our national newspaper websites talking about talent management – world cup style.
http://www.financialpost.com/executive/hr/Talent%20management%20World%20style/3250846/story.html
Love your blog! keep up the good work!
Hahahahahaha, this is horrible. Thank you. Exactly. Such a stretch in terms of logic AND writing.
World Cup is full of excitement, hawt guys, and most matches don’t go over 2 hours. Even with stoppage, OT, and kicks, maybe 3. And when I watch WC matches, I’m drinking Corona and giggling with my friends. When I’m watching MLS matches, either at home/pub or stadium, I’m drinking Corona and giggling with my friends.
At work today I’m sorting through benefits renewal proposals. No excitement. No hawt guys. No giggles. NO CORONA. And this will last for HOURS AND DAYS. Why must parallelers ruin my fun by connecting work to the one and only sport I like?
I’ll tell you what… I’ll work anywhere for a hot guy and alcohol. Does that make me cheap & tawdry?
No tie-in between sports and HR/management/careers?
That is 80% of my angle. And I am very worried for my pal the HR Capitalist.
Your posts are fine. Dunn is doomed.
Main similarity between work and the World Cup?
The French go home early.
Well played, sir. Well played.
LOL, brilliant comment of the year.
Sorry I couldn’t help myself: http://tweetphoto.com/32392595
Isn’t that kinda the problem? I mean, work…should it be so serious? As a kid, I could take my ball and go home. So, why can’t I just fire that biaotch who treats people like crap and thinks she is running something? If nothing else, let me punt her 98lb azz a few yards…Pele’ has nothing on a boss with a grudge.
Nah…it’s all just play with purpose. And eventually, I’ll convince the Ref (HR) to pull the red card problem ee’s.
I don’t want to be the ref.
Umm… Isn’t football a hugely successful business? The World Cup is generating billions. You have to admire the success of the marketing and PR for what is such a dull game these days! I was watching a DVD of Leeds United v Arsenal (1973 FA Cup Final) – such a better game back then, but a shadow of the industry which is football today. Engaged people don’t do “hard work” – they enjoy themselves and are “driven” and “committed”, and produce step-change results. Not just toil, which, like England -v- Algeria, is simply dull!
Meh. Maybe. But just because it’s a business doesn’t mean it’s anything like YOUR business or MY business.
It is not so much that the World Cup is like the office. It is simply because it gives bloggers Google Juice. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone before I get my post finished: “Lindsay Lohan Wants LeBron’s Baby.”
Let’s think…… if the World Cup (or any Major League sport) is like your job, where the hell IS the HR group? Sexual harrassment, cohabitation, deals under the table, PR nightmares, league violations, botched drug testing, felonies, over paid prima donnas, etc, etc, etc.
On second thought, maybe I do want to work there! I won’t even file a case against Ronaldo. It will be considered “on-boarding”