Polo and Leadership

Opinion by Rabii BENADADA*

 

  

 

Leadership - No Two People Are the Same :  Each player has a specific role and responsibility on the field 

The first time I was taught how to play polo, I thought my years of practicing complex sports (even Judo) would help.

They didn’t, at least, not enough.

Polo is another league.

A field five times larger than a football pitch, only four players per side, and each rider managing not just the game, but a living, breathing teammate beneath them.

At a high level, a player can ride up to ten or twelve different horses in a single match, each with its own rhythm, height, and temperament.

You play one-handed, guiding a 500-kilo athlete galloping up to 60 km/h, while swinging a mallet to hit a small ball that barely leaves the grass ... and you must control not just the hit, but the direction, power, and precision.

Polo, like management, is incredibly complex, but when you truly master it, it looks effortless.
Everything flows, instinctively.

It’s a sport that forces you to balance :
- Instinct and control
- Individual skill and team coordination
- Short-term reaction and long-term vision

That’s leadership.

Because, whether on the field or in business, you often face fast, unpredictable situations where you must decide instantly, yet never lose sight of the bigger strategy.

When I founded the Moroccans of the World Polo team, these same values became its essence:
Courage. Empathy. Adaptability.

The ability to connect generations, much like the trust between player and horse, or between teammates who share one goal.

In polo, as in leadership, you can’t control everything, but you can learn to ride complexity — with clarity, trust, and purpose.

And one more thing I almost forgot to mention: polo is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, played pro-am and multi-gender.
Yet I’ve never seen a polo player fake a foul or pretend just to win.

Fair play and honour live at the highest level.

 

• Polo and business both require leadership, teamwork and strategy

• Both polo and business leaders must have good communication, coordination and motivation skills to lead their teams effectively.

• Try, Try Again, or Get Back on Your Horse and Try Again!

 

 

 

 Moroccans of the world polo team – Newport , USA -2018.

In business as well as polo, it is essential to keep communication open with all team members and, when you can, continue to evaluate and improve on; 

1. What is working 

2. What is not working 

3. What we can change 

 

 

*Rabii BENADADA is Researcher in sports management at the ISCAE Business School Casablanca, Morocco