3 Lessons in Leadership from “Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success”
Introduction:
The Netflix special: “Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success” explores the incredible legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson (Fergie), who is considered one of the greatest coaches in sporting history.
In his 26 years at Manchester United he led the team to 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA cups and 2 UEFA Champions League titles. In recognition of his service to football, he also received his knighthood in 1999.
After watching the documentary, I realised that it would be near impossible to try and explain Fergie’s greatness in a single read. But that doesn’t mean we can’t capture some of his key lessons.
This article will present the 3 most important leadership qualities which helped create a legacy which spanned over a quarter of a century.
1. Maintain Control
As a leader, Sir Alex Ferguson had to use a wide range of tactics both on the field and off the field to ensure he got the best out of his team.
What made Fergie such a natural leader was his ability to be more than just a manager. For the players, Fergie could be a manager, a father, a friend and a foe — and he had the instinct to know exactly when to use each one.
Fergie understood that each player was unique and each needed to be be led differently to maximise their full potential.
He mastered the balance between Love and Fear and believes the sweet spot between both of these styles of leadership is Respect. Respect is paramount to the success of any team.
In their most challenging moments, Fergie stood by his players in a paternal sort of way. But through success, he instilled unrelenting discipline and demanded 100% focus. The balance between these expectations bred unshakeable respect between Fergie and his team and it’s what later laid the foundations of a 26 year legacy.
Lesson Learnt: Be dynamic in your style of management. Teams are always made up of different personas and the success of your team will be greatly depend on your ability to understand them and adapt your style of management, to maximise team synergy, growth and success.
2. Develop Solidarity
Aristotle once said: ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’ It’s clear Fergie understood this better than most.
Fergie knew that in order to win championships, he had to strengthen the trust and cooperation between the players.
To do this, he worked tirelessly to create a family culture. This included taking an interest in every individual that contributed to the team from the canteen staff, to the kit men, to the players.
Figure 1
Fergie didn’t just teach the players the importance of teamwork on the pitch. He also used images like the one shown above (Figure 1), to show them what real team work looked like. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a 1000 words.”
The photo named “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” shows 11 men, which Fergie used to represent the 11 players in a football team. Even though the photo was originally used to promote the erection of the Rockefeller Centre in Manhatten, to Fergie, this photo communicated so much more.
Fergie would point to this photo and say: “That’s teamwork!”
For him, this photo highlighted some of the underlying principles of any successful team. Work together, support each other and help eachother. In addition, even whilst the 11 men in the photo are just inches away from disaster, they nonetheless remain completely un-phased and composed.
And this was the sort of culture Fergie wanted to create and this was one of the main success factors in Manchester United’s unrivalled legacy.
Lessons Learnt: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In order to realise the true potential of your team, you need to create a conducive team culture which promotes camaraderie, trust and cooperation
3. Be Bold
A leader is ultimately accountable for the overall success or failure of their team.
Fergie worried less about the politics of running a football club and instead focused on the team itself. He knew that if he could build a winning team, it would eventually translate to wider organisational success.
He inherited the club at a time when Manchester United were notorious for its drinking culture.
And Fergie set his expectations from the onset — that he wasn’t going to change his attitude, philosophy and conviction and that if they wanted to win, the players would have to change.
He was in charge of numerous superstars in his time and never did he let any one individual feel like they were more important than the team or club.
Moreover, Fergie wasn’t scared to make decisions which went against conventional wisdom. He explains how he always enjoyed his interaction with young players, and went against the grain when he began building a pipeline of young players who he believed would fundamentally shift the club’s tactics for years to come (which it did).
Lesson Learnt: A great leader is able to cajole, persuade and convince a team to do things they didn’t think they were capable of. Spend time understanding your team and identify challenges which inhibit success. Once you identify these — be bold in your decision making and take corrective action (even if this contradicts conventional wisdom)
