The Quiet Power of Leadership: Luka Modrić’s Fireside Wisdom

Leadership is mostly a public vocation, but its best work is performed in quiet, private moments.

Such a moment was captured in the Netflix documentary, Captains Of The World – when the Croatian captain Luka Modrić had a fireside chat with his world class goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic. Livakovic was going through a woeful patch of form – low on confidence and error prone, he was on the brink of being dropped.

Goalkeeping is one of the toughest gigs in sport: huge pressure and lots of time alone.

Modric speaks gently to him, first reassuring him that he wants the best for him and then breathing faith into him: “You are a great goalkeeper. You have to know that. Do you know that?”

Then Modrić gives Livakovic a zinger insight – he’s playing like a guy who’s afraid to make a mistake, and that’s not how champions play.

“Who doesn’t make mistakes? Please name one person. Because I didn’t get to where I am by being afraid to make mistakes.”

Livakovic went on to recapture his mojo to become one of the standout goalkeepers of the 2022 World Cup, saving no less than three penalties in the match against Japan.

The right thing said in the right way at the right time can produce magic. Such is the subtle art of leadership.