Leadership Lessons From Footie

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: Sir Alex Morphs into Professor Ferguson

Competency: leadership

Who benefits: supervisors, managers, executives, leaders and leader wannabes of all kinds

Consultant Usage: If you a comfortable using sports metaphors in your practice, this article can be useful

What’s it about? In the October issue of the Harvard Business Review there is a unique article on leadership from the perspective of the recently retired and generally considered the most successful football/ fútbol (soccer to you US/Canada readers) coach of all time. As an addicted footie fan I was of course in love with this article. If you don’t mind sports metaphors it is a most instructive article on leadership. I would like to reproduce his principles, changing some of the sports terminology into business jargon (whoops, I mean business vocabulary).  And I urge you to click on the length and read the full article.

1. Build A Solid Foundation: Don’t settle for building a good team, build the organization from the ground up for the future.

2. Rebuild Your Team: Know what kind of team (work group) you want, develop those who can fulfill the mission, manage out those who “don’t get it” or can’t contribute, and carefully bring in and nurture those who you envision making long term contributions. Be an effective “portfolio manager” of talent.

3. Set High Standards—and Hold Everyone to Them: Most of us know what performance management is. Real leaders practice it.

4. Never, Ever Cede Control: This principle may be more difficult to apply to a general business setting – and may not apply at all in some cases. But he does make the case that you have to believe in yourself, believe in what you are trying to accomplish, and step in early to manage disagreements. Never lose sight of the long-term goals and no team member can be bigger than the mission.

5. Match the Message to the Moment: Take care in what you communicate and how you communicate it. Match the message to the player (team member). He has a nice quote: “No one likes to be criticized. Few people get better with criticism; most respond to encouragement instead.”

6. Prepare to Win: This might be translated into normal business vocabulary as prepare to succeed. Never be satisfied with where you are. Always seek to improve.

7. Rely on the Power of Observation: Delegate but monitor. “Management By Wandering Around” is still a valid concept. But do it with a purpose. Use your observation power to step in with quick fixes and development opportunities when appropriate. Design your day so you know what is going on. “I don’t think many people fully understand the value of observing. I came to see observation as a critical part of my management skills. The ability to see things is key—or, more specifically, the ability to see things you don’t expect to see.”

8. Never Stop Adapting: Your organization is in a fast and ever changing world. Anticipate where your industry is going and get ahead of the curve. Let others catch up with you.

There you have it. Sir/Professor Alex’s eight sports leadership principles. Do they apply to business in general? Agree or disagree? More importantly, how do you measure up (if you agree)?

Catch you later.

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.