Anyone watching the World Cup would know by now that Spain is out. They can blame it on the "World Cup-curse", or they can suck it up and reflect back on what happened so it never happens again. And while winning a World Cup is never easy, and defending a title is harder, their performance was extremely poor.

Here are some life lessons we can all learn from their failed World Cup campaign.

1. Don't include a player who's rusty

Spain played Casillas, even though he was on the bench for a long time at Real Madrid. Was there no other goalie capable of taking his position? While experience plays a big part in any situation, you also don't want someone who has been taking a break for far too long.

Lesson: Including a jaded, but experienced worker in your team may be a bad decision in management. You'll want to find someone who's more enthusiastic and energetic for the job.

2. Don't be cocky

Spain may have come into the World Cup with their heads still high up in the clouds after winning the previous World Cup. That could have very well been their downfall.

Lesson: Never ever assume your competitors are not training and working hard to get to a level ahead of you. Sure, you've set the bar for excellence, but have you been keeping track of that bar lately?

3. Always be alert

Spain's tired performance led to their complete embarrassment when Holland sucker punched them with 5 goals, with at least 1 or 2 that were probably avoidable had their defenders remained attentive.

Lesson: You may never know when a competitor creeps up to you, but that doesn't mean you can't have a backup plan to mitigate situations. Always be on the look out. An attentive attitude towards trends and other news will at least help keep you ahead.

4. Learn from your mistakes

After losing terribly in their first game, you would think the Spaniards would have changed their strategy, or lineup. Or at least given the team a pep-talk to reinvigorate their fighting spirit. It seemed like nothing changed at all.

Lesson: If you never learn from failure, you might as well just give up now and wave the white flag.

5. Do not underestimate your opponent.

It was hard to imagine Holland would win at such a huge margin. It was also hard to imagine Chile beating Spain! But like they say, the ball is round.

Lesson: Your competitors may not be that great yet, or you may not have seen their trump card. Never assume and never underestimate brilliance coming from others.

6. Put in effort

It would have been nice to see Spain play like how they did in the last World Cup. Those passes were a work of art. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any "Spanish excellence" whatsoever.

Lesson: You can't reach the top or anywhere without putting in effort. Nothing ever falls on your lap. And even if lady luck strokes you nicely, and opportunity appears, it takes effort to follow through.

7. Know your limits, and the environment around you.

The sluggishness of the Spanish players may be due to the heat they are experiencing. Could that have contributed to their loss?

Lesson: Always be prepared. You may have thoughts of entering into a different market. Great. But before you do, do your homework. Know what you need to have and who you need to know. This knowledge is pivotal to your survival in a foreign environment.

8. Get organized

Balance between youth and experience. And while Spain has that in their World Cup squad, it seems like the only other thing missing is some organization. Players were everywhere, some were not paying attention, and not contributing to the success of the team.

Lesson: Know who your best people are, and the best positions they are suited for. This will help you create a strategy.

9. Have a strategy

Anyone watching the Spanish play must have thought if they had at least a semblance of strategy. It didn't appear to be so.

Lesson: Having a strategy is akin to knowing the many routes you can take to reach your destination. Without that, you're just driving blind.

10.  Appoint proper leadership

Iker Casillas probably wasn't the best person to captain the Spanish ship. He looked tired, despair, and downright beat after letting in so many goals.

Lesson: It goes without saying that having the right leadership to steer a company is important. But what's more important is passing on the torch to someone else who can probably do a better job than you. Know when it is time to let go. Know when it is time give the job to someone else.