“We want you to stay, we want you to sta-aa-aayyy, Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay.”
Sang the Chelsea fans.
For Conte; a position of great strength. A humbling of a rival and the opportunity to reinforce any messages of his choosing.
His choice was to emphasise the qualities of his own team through praise of the opposition.
Arsenal are a “very good team, for me they are a good team, a lot of good players, technically and physically.”
This frame allows him to then praise his own players, “I am pleased for the players.”
He is pleased because they “deserved” the win and they deserved the win “as during the week and in every training session I see their desire and attitude.”
Given his own central role in training, he is not only attempting to manipulate the behaviours he wants to see from his players, but also reinforcing the security of his own position.
Success also allows him to focus on the negatives of the game.
He is led by a question, but close to half of the interview is then focused on his disappointment at conceding a goal. “It is a pity” and it demonstrates the need to “keep your concentration from the start to the end”.
The tone is in fact so critical that the interviewer feels he needs to remind and congratulate him on the win!
Leadership communication lesson
Success gives you a position of strength that should never be wasted. It can be wasted if you do not link success to the behaviours you have asked of your team or the strategy you have chosen to follow. Do not be coy, subtle or vague. Link success directly and it will help you build followership within your organisation.
Post-match 