Millions of soccer fans watched Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo steal the show by scoring three goals in the 2018 World Cup match against Spain. What television doesn’t show are the habits that turned Ronaldo into a legend: discipline, drive, conviction and hunger.
These are also the habits shared by many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, according to two leaders who should know: Sir Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United and Sir Michael Moritz, the billionaire venture capital investor behind Google, Yahoo, PayPal, WhatsApp, Airbnb and many others.
I spoke to Moritz about a book he co-wrote with Ferguson called Leading. Moritz told me that the same four habits that Ferguson used to identify soccer superstars are the same ones he looked for in great entrepreneurs.
1. Discipline
When Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in 1986, he quickly realized the team had an undisciplined culture. Ferguson attributes much of his success over the next 26 years to maintaining the highest standards for everything from wardrobe to practice time, from diet to sleep.
Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ferguson, was one of the most disciplined athletes he’d ever met. Ronaldo is known for his strict diet and religiously avoids alcohol, sodas, and processed foods. “You can’t play for two hours a day and then do whatever you want,” Ronaldo once said. “If you’re not disciplined, forget it.”
Moritz said that maintaining strict discipline is one of the parallels between soccer champions and the entrepreneurs he admires. And no one had the discipline that he saw in a young Bill Gates. Gates bought a television to watch educational videotapes, but disconnected the tuner so he would not be distracted by TV shows and movies. He removed the radio from his car so he would not be distracted by anything that took his focus off Microsoft.
Legends use self-discipline to focus on what matters.
2. Drive
Ferguson recalls that Ronaldo and another player–David Beckham– had to be nearly dragged out of the training facilities long after practice was over. They would do anything to be the greatest players in the world.
The movie, Bend it Like Beckham, wouldn’t have been made had it not been for that extra practice when Beckham practiced his curving free kicks. “Beckham became a master of taking free kicks from between 25 and 30 yards from the goal. As for Ronaldo, he’d be able to score from free kicks if he took them from behind the moon,” writes Ferguson.
According to both Moritz and Ferguson, if you have the choice between two people on your team–one who has strong talent and little drive, and another who has modest talent but unbelievable drive, always choose the latter.
Most people with natural talent coast through life. Legends put in the hours.
3. Conviction
Some players–like forwards–quickly lose confidence in their skills when they start missing a few attempts. According to Ferguson, “Their confidence is easily shaken, they blow with the wind and can be plagued with doubts.”
Ferguson and Moritz both agree that conviction–a deep inner belief in your ability–is a key element of success. Moritz told me that true leaders are “the rarest of commodities” because so few people have “unshakeable confidence” in their convictions. The Google guys, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, walked into Sequoia Capital’s offices with a clear sense of their goal and their ability to make good on their promise.
Legends keep their eye on the goal and see setbacks as opportunities to take another step forward.
4. Hunger
This habit is, by far, the most intriguing. Ferguson and Moritz admired players or entrepreneurs who came from poverty or adverse circumstances. “I’ve long had a soft spot for people from a working-class background, because I think it prepares them for the hardness of life,” according to Ferguson.
In my conversation with Moritz, he ticked off a list of startups he had invested in whose founders came from trying circumstances. These companies include: Yahoo, WhatsApp, Google, and others. Moritz says the prefers entrepreneurs with “an inner fortitude” shaped by setbacks, reversals and the fear of failure.
How do you find the hunger if you’ve enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class life? Look for inspiration from those who paved your path. In my first year at UCLA, I got Bs and one or two Cs. My father–who had spent five years as a prisoner in World War II–reminded me that I had responsibility to embrace the opportunity I had been handed. I studied harder and graduated with honors. One conversation sparked my ‘hunger’ to succeed.
Legends find fuel in their struggle.
Technical skills will only get you so far in sports or in the business world. There are plenty of people who are competent, but few who are truly great and even fewer who are legendary.