A Guide to Leadership from Sir Alex Ferguson. Often hailed as the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson collected an astonishing 49 trophies over his 38 year coaching career and inspired countless players to work hard and achieve greatness. A legend in football, Ferguson is touted as the man who turned around Manchester United, transforming a losing team into a hugely profitable success during an impressive 26 year run as their manager. In his newest book Leading, co-written with Michael Moritz, Ferguson recounts his experiences in leadership and discusses how his winning methods and philosophies apply to the business world and beyond.
Throughout this three-part blog series, we explore the key concepts of strong leadership from the legend himself, and demonstrate how you can transform your management style to motivate, inspire, and lead your team to untold success.
Becoming yourself
According to Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the most important skills a leader must have is the power of observation. In constantly listening to and watching others, you can understand the crux of who they are – where they came from, what makes them who they are today, how they became themselves. Once you understand each individual at their basic core, you’ll know the most effective words to use; what will bring out their best, what will cause them to work harder and keep moving forward. You’ll also know what not to say; what will be demoralizing and cause them to retreat. Always reading and keeping your ears open also gives you an opportunity to learn from those around you. Do your research. Read about your prospective hires before you take the plunge and bring them onto your team. Take the time to find out what other teams are doing so that you can anticipate any surprises coming your way.
Watching people is key to picking up small details. In Leading, Ferguson cites a moment of advice from his assistant manager about letting go of the reins during training sessions and just observing. Once he stepped back he was finally able to see the whole picture. He could watch his players more intently – all of them – instead of the ball, and better read their faces and body language to determine their emotional states and moods. When you are more in tune with how each person is feeling, you can give people who are in a good spot and raring to go more responsibility, and let those who are stressed have a break so they can regroup. Knowing your team members inside and out, being able to intuit their emotions, helps you keep your members performing at their best both individually and as a team.
“There’s a reason that God gave us two ears, two eyes and one mouth. It’s so you can listen and watch twice as much as you talk. Best of all, listening costs you nothing.”
― Alex Ferguson, Leading
Recognising hunger
Developing a strong team means being able to recognize those who have passion, hunger, and drive and having the foresight to recruit them. You want to populate your team with people who have a strong work ethic and will do anything to avoid losing; who show up each day determined to be better than the day before. In his book, Ferguson states that those with a strong work ethic are more apt to get further ahead than those merely possessing talent but not much fortitude. To win they have to want it, live for it, never give up, and have strong purpose and confidence in their abilities. They must approach each day and each new challenge with the belief they’re going to win, no matter what – and as their leader you must possess the same obsessive drive and conviction.
“We had a virus that infected everyone at United. It was called winning.”
― Alex Ferguson, Leading
Believing in the importance of good discipline, Ferguson champions the necessity of keeping teams in line, despite the immediate cost. He had no issue handing down a four-month suspension to player Eric Cantona for his shocking kung-fu kick towards a taunting spectator, despite how valuable he was to the team and even though it would affect the whole team’s performance. Your team members must be aware of the limits and know that stepping out of line will not be tolerated – with a punishment that fits the crime. If they know that no one is indispensable, they’ll be more united as a team and remain consistent and focused on the goal.
Assembling the pieces
Building a cohesive, winning team does not occur by happy accident. It requires careful organisation when assembling the pieces, cautiously selecting your players to fill specific roles on your team and ensuring they complement each other. They must be willing to embrace the values of your team and want to work together as a unit. Preparation is vital, and your team members must attack it with the same ferocity as they would when they are knee deep in the game; with determination and a willingness to work hard, otherwise they won’t last during crunch time and beyond.
Ferguson is a firm believer that a great leader also looks ahead into the future, realizing that in order to set your team up for long term success you need to invest in their future. This means creating a pipeline of young talent that you can draw from down the road when your team needs fresh blood. You need to be able to gradually move out your tired older members and give your team an infusion of new talent to keep them team fresh and steadily performing at a strong level. This is how your team stays at the top of its game, consistently and over the long term.
Engaging others
Building strong relationships with your team members and amongst them is vital to building a unified team. Balance is crucial. Everyone on the team must respect each other for their individual strengths and realize that each person is there to fill a specific niche. The team must be continually tweaked; it’s not enough to merely recruit your players and be done with it – it is an organic machine, in a constant state of flux as people grow and change, and you must keep working on it to maintain balance.
In Leading, Ferguson outlines four specific things he looks for when choosing the captain of his team. Team captains must have the willingness to lead, share his vision for the team and be trusted to pass on his word, be someone the team respects and listens to, and have the ability to adapt to change. Choosing a captain is necessary – there are times when you have to let your team get out there and perform without you. You need someone who can ensure that your team stays united and works together to achieve success when the big moment comes.
“Balance is the key to every team. It is impossible to win a football game with 11 goal keepers or with a group of people with identical talents. I imagine this to be true in other organisations as well.”
– Alex Ferguson, Leading
Next: In Part 2 of this three-part series we delve into more lessons on leadership from Sir Alex Ferguson, including setting high standards, measuring people, achieving focus, and owning the message.