Are you a football fan? Are you a sport fan? Or do you just like an inspiring story? Well read on.
If like Foxes fan, Karishma Kapoor, you had the belief at the start of the season to invest just £2 on her team winning the Premiership with a bookmakers you would be looking at a very nice windfall indeed. In fact, bookmakers stand to pay out around £50m to those supporters and fans who believed it was possible even though they narrowly avoided relegation last season. The club's support has been fantastic and their patience paid off with success finally coming after a 132 year drought. It is an incredible story on many levels but what does it show for recruiters who want to do a "Leicester" defying the odds and taking on the big boys? The reasons behind the Foxes success is indeed complex yet recruiters can take five things that, when combined, could make it happen;
1. Management - Claudio Raineri aka the "Tinkerman" is known as a nice man but despite impressive achievements with Fiorentina, Chelsea, Valencia and Monaco, the big prize had eluded him over a 29 year career. An intelligent, gentlemanly full-back who played 164 games in Italy's top division without getting a yellow card. However as a manager he told players to think like a boxer: "You defend, and at the right time you strike." He was able to build on previous manager's efforts, namely Nigel Pearson, and take them forward but he will readily admit it was not down to him alone.
2. Cash - Success rarely happens overnight and for Leicester the story began in August 2010 when a low-key Thai billionaire took over. This injection of cash had a massive effect on the club enabling a degree of professionalism that gave them a fighting chance. Analysing match data to connect the dots to translate into action, a system of a consistent style of play with defensive rigour and strong counter-attacks, avoiding injury plus physical conditioning was key. Yet, many clubs - elite and non-elite - already do this, the difference at Leicester were his support team and especially the talent scouts.
3. Investment in Talent - The youth academy was one of only six outside the top flight to be awarded category one status by the FA. Smart signings unearthed the underrated Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kanté and Jamie Vardy scooped from the lower leagues who joined the squad costing only £8m - a fraction of what bigger rivals spend. With the right players in place the chemistry and team spirt began to flourish and it is this that Mr Ranieri himself says is the secret for the team's success.
4. Team Spirit - The hunger on Vardy's face, the humility in Mahrez's words when he got player of the year and so many other heroes in the team combined to create a winning attitude. A utilitarian playing style performed by players with solid names like Simpson and Drinkwater lifted other players who may who now have a better chance in the national team. It is everything football managers aim to achieve in their career but an extremely complex and difficult thing to create best described by the recently departed football legend Johan Cruyff, "Choose the best player for every position, and you'll end up not with a strong 11, but 11 strong 1's."
5. Luck - Leicester have also been lucky. Some believe Richard III had a part to play but in reality Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have all failed to launch this season leaving other clubs to flourish, something that had not happened in the Premier League before, and may never be repeated. You could argue it was similar circumstances that helped Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United reach title success in 94/95 and 91/92 in which case Leicester's triumph is likely to prove a one-off and the real test will be next season when they may return to the middle of the table if they can't retain their players in what is the most fiercely fought sporting competition in the world.
Victory for Leicester is victory for the old-fashioned way rather than a David and Goliath analogy as many believe. Other teams are already waiting in the wings with similar models of high end facilities, focus on scouting and coaching like Stoke City and Southampton that is slowly bringing new life - and hope - to many other teams. The same attitude can inspire businesses in the equally competitive world of graduate recruitment to take a long view to achieve the same team spirit through smart use of resources, adopting a rigorous management style, an analytical mind set and investing wisely. What lessons will you take from Leicester's inspiring journey?
