Soapbox Engage Blog

Among the international soccer talent that much of the planet is obsessively following with each dribble, pass, and shot of the World Cup stands a 5'7" Argentine who many consider the best player of his generation, if not of all-time.

Here are three traits that make Lionel Messi superb, and that the best nonprofits share with him.

1) Quick and nimble

"Messi has been compared to compatriot Diego Maradona, due to their similar playing style and stature, which gives him a lower centre of gravity than most players, allowing him to be more agile and change direction more quickly, helping him to evade tackles. His short, strong legs allow him to excel in short bursts of acceleration and his quick feet allow him to keep control of the ball when dribbling at speed. - Wikipedia

Messi's nickname is La Pulga, or The Flea. Like The Flea, the best nonprofits can turn on a dime and quickly move in the direction that is most promising for fulfilling their mission.

2) Always focused on the goal

“Messi is always going forwards. He never passes the ball backwards or sideways. He has only one idea, to run towards the goal. So as a football fan, just enjoy the show.” - Zinedine Zidane, former French international player

Little extra energy is used, save for that which is needed to score. The best nonprofits know why they exist and they pour everything they have into achieving that goal.

3) Invention to accomplish what does not seem possible

“He made the impossible possible.” - Arsene Wenger, Manager, Arsenal football club

It is not uncommon to have four and five players between Messi and the goal only to have him combine his quickness, agility, and focus with a massive measure of ingenuity to make a way out of no way.

As a general rule, nonprofits exist because there is some gap in the system, some cognitive dissonance between the world as it's wired through market forces, and our better selves that envision a more just alternative. If this were not so, there would be no need for a nonprofit or its mission.

The overcoming of these market forces requires ingenuity that the best nonprofits exhibit which accepts the world as it is and then blazes a path which many had not seen before, making a way where none previously existed.

What does that look like? Take Messi's goal from a run just shy of midfield in Argentina's 2-1 win against against Bosnia-Herzegovina in their first game of the 2014 World Cup - and ask yourself how your nonprofit is making a way out of no way: VIDEO.