When I reflect on the stand-out performance of Cabo Verde in the recent FIFA World Cup, I couldn’t go past leadership as a driving force behind their spectacular success.
In their first ever World Cup appearance, this tiny island nation became the smallest by population (just under 525,000) to reach the knockout stage. They emerged undefeated from the “group of death,” drew against eventual winners, Spain, then twice came from behind twice against defending champions, Argentina. Their second spectacular equalizer won Goal of the Tournament.
Coming out of nowhere and the biggest surprise of the tournament, the odds were against this team before they even assembled. How had manager Pedro Leitão Brito, widely known as Bubista, orchestrated a full-scale pivot of this magnitude?
The journey began by answering the question of how to get the right people on the bus. Cabo Verde took a broad, distributed view to recruiting high calibre talent. They looked beyond the geography of their tiny island population to strategically target their diaspora playing across Europe. This meant convincing second and third generation Cabo Verdeans to come behind a single national purpose.
They looked beyond traditional channels. Their central defender, Pico Lopes, was found on LinkedIn and initially thought the message was spam until Cabo Verde resent it in English rather than Portuguese. Lopes went on to be a stand-out in the squad, playing every minute of every game at the World Cup.
Bubista next had to answer the question of how to get the people on the bus working together and singing the same song. The starting point was an incredibly varied group. They had players drawn from entirely different cultures around the world, many with no existing connection to Cabo Verde other than their heritage. What’s more, players arrived with a vast range of pedigrees from elite, top-tier European leagues to second-tier and lower leagues in lesser celebrated soccer countries.
The considerable challenge was to meld a culture that brought the elite and journeyman players authentically together on common ground and equal footing.
To shape a true team, Bubista designed mechanisms that made belonging and unity something the players experienced, not simply something they were told. The outcome was clear: every player’s contribution had equal value. It began with creating common ground. He gave each player a clear and specific, equally important, operational role on the team. So notably, no one was a superstar on the squad when on national tour.
Bubista also made a rule that everyone spoke Cabo Verdean Creole while on tour to avoid cliques being form around language. Everyone was included in the conversation. He created common purpose by connecting national identity to their shared origin story.
The pressure that everyone would eventually feel was reframed as privilege. Bubista’s message was playing the top teams in the world would be the reward for the team’s hard work.
Without these intentional mechanisms coming from various angles, hierarchy and fragmentation would have prevented this collective from playing to their true potential.
Respect replaced ego. The grit and work ethic of the journeyman players stood well alongside the elite experience of those from top leagues. The team discovered complementary strength from their differences. This became a unique and powerful differentiator on the pitch.
Bubista then answered the question of how they would compete against the best national teams in the world who repeatedly qualified for the tournament. Cabo Verde built a game plan that was ideally suited to their collective set of capabilities. No flashy moves; nothing high risk. Stick to those fundamentals and execute it with precision, flawlessly, every time no matter the pressure.
Their tactical discipline and tenacity around their game plan became their system. Bubista famously rejected the fairytale, miracle narrative to his players. He reinforced work over luck, reminding his team that success had been built on daily discipline, their signature defensive organisation and damn hard work. The system and their teamwork gave the players their confidence.
Their team unity gave them seemingly limitless poise under pressure and the ability to put forward their best performance, game after game.
As I write this some weeks after the tournament, it’s come to light that Bubista will leave his post as manager and leader to take the helm at top tier Moroccan powerhouse, RS Berkane.
I have to admit, my first reaction was dismay and disappointment. Had he sold out? Or abandoned The Blue Sharks now on a historic rise?
Then I learned that Bubista was Cabo Verdean born and raised on the island of Boa Vista. He lived and played in Cabo Verde for most of his early career, eventually earning the honour of captaining the national team for 11 years. This is a story of local boy making history. The very diligence, hard work and national pride that shaped his career became the standards he role modelled for his team. As a result, he is regarded as an absolute national hero, with the country and team wishing him well.
Because it’s not who leaves, it’s what’s left behind.
He built the culture of unity and embedded that into practices and behaviours everyone can point to. He developed and nurtured an ethos of team respect and honour that’s embraced by the squad. And, he developed a gun squad of assistant coaches who actively led the squad on their journey. They are indeed on the short list of contenders to replace Bubista.
There’s a keen balance of breaking boundaries sitting alongside a focus on fundamentals. Bubista balanced this to perfection to take divergent talent scattered around the world and assembled a true contender on the world stage. He helped every player shine to the greatest of their ability no matter the background. It’s the dual collective and individual impact that endures and leaves behind something better for the next leader. Leadership embedded in people, practices and behaviours endures.
This writing is inspired by my earlier articles, Leadership Attention and Earned.
