Yesterday, following a press conference by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, the Süddeutsche Zeitung ran the headline “The Opposite of Kompany” and went on to write that Nagelsmann “subjects his squad to public general and individual criticism as if he were a sports reporter who, as reporters do, looks for fault.” He did praise goalkeeper Baumann (“will have a great World Cup”), right back Kimmich, and centre backs Tah (“very solid”) and Schlotterbeck (“extremely important”), but then moved very quickly to the weaknesses of the remaining players.

He said, for example, that Woltemade is “normally a good player,” that Füllkrug has “too low a conversion rate,” that the right back backups for Kimmich are “not in top flow,” and that Said El Mala is currently only playing 50 % of matches – “that’s too little and it’s not down to the coach.” The impression one gets: here is a squad that is somehow okay. But not convincing.

Those Who Only Communicate Deficits Put the Brakes On

Yes, constructive criticism is important. It shows room for development and provides orientation. But analysis alone does not make people greater. On the contrary: when people primarily hear what they cannot do, what they are doing wrong, or where their deficits lie, an environment emerges in which people shrink.

Good leadership means creating an environment in which people flourish. In research, this is known as the “Pygmalion Effect”: expectations influence performance. Treat people as they could be, not as they are, and they will grow. Those who sense that development is expected of them act with more courage. Those who are reduced to their weaknesses become cautious and remain below their potential.

Vincent Kompany and Hansi Flick do things differently from Nagelsmann. They never criticize their players publicly. At FC Bayern, morale is currently “through the roof” – even players who see less game time report this. Kompany’s self-understanding: “My role is to love the players we have here.”

With Hansi Flick too, I experience how important a growth-oriented environment is to him. The press in Barcelona affectionately calls him “Daddy” – someone who repeatedly shows the team that the impossible is possible. This is how he manages to lead a group of young players to peak performance. Young players like Pau Cubarsí (18), Marc Bernal (18) and Lamine Yamal (18) flourish under him because he does not constantly talk about what they still need to improve. Instead, he focuses on where their superpower lies.

Positive leadership does not mean ignoring weaknesses. It means addressing them in a way that allows people to grow from them.

It was just one interview from Nagelsmann, and it is unfair to immediately derive an entire philosophy from it. But I think it is a great example of how quickly we all – in sport as in business – drift into fixing and criticizing without noticing what that does to people and our team culture. So: Stop Fixing, Start Activating!