by Carson, Mike
McLeish believes in holding on to the pain himself: ‘When we were relegated I was absolutely devastated. I was trying to find the positives in it and the only positive I could find was such was the quality of that league that season that I don’t think any of us deserved to be relegated. I think the only ones that were far below everyone else were West Ham; they were completely out by about six points or something. That’s when you start to beat yourself up and that’s when you start looking back. But I definitely try and keep all the pressure away from the players. Some players hide it, but there is definitely emotion, there’s a few in tears and I think you just have to say, “Look guys, thank you for your efforts through the whole season.”’
Walter Smith always endeavours to approach the highs and lows of football management with equal measure. ‘There are periods of turmoil in management when there’s a lot going on. I just try and manage as best I can. I think it’s an instinctive thing that you have in you to lead. You have to hold your nerve in front of the team, protect the team from stuff that shouldn’t be coming their way and provide stability amidst the turmoil. I think that’s a natural part of the job – one of the natural aspects that you shouldn’t really take a great deal of praise for putting in place. You have to do this as a leader.’
In times of upset, McCarthy deliberately steadies himself before dealing with his players: ‘I try and maintain or regain my centre. I think if you are up and down they have no chance. I treat people consistently; I’m consistent in my behaviour. So even when we went to Preston looking to end our run of 11 defeats, I’m still preparing the same way I prepare for every match. Saying we have to win this only adds pressure to the players and that’s not fair. They can see if you panic. If they see you treating a game differently, they detect your anxiety and that does them no favours.’ David Moyes would agree: ‘[After a setback] I have to go back to work on my own behaviours and my mood. I think you need to correct yourself first, so that in turn you are able to correct the group of people you are working with and help to fix them.’
Glenn Hoddle agrees with the protective role of the leader, but is also committed to taking lessons from the pain: ‘I would want my players to be upset and sad that they have lost, I wouldn’t want them to be too jovial if they have just lost the final! Then together, under pressure, we can find out so much more about ourselves and each other [teammates and staff] than when we are winning and life is easy.’ Leaders in business as well as football will recognise this: the greater learnings come out of the tougher times.
Passing on the Joy
Most leaders would not hesitate to share joy and pride at moments of triumph. As manager of the Republic of Ireland team in the 2002 World Cup campaign, McCarthy took a couple of small steps to ensure his players shared his pride in the team and the campaign. ‘I had always felt the match shirts needed to be more than just a shirt. I have all these shirts at home but I haven’t a clue which one’s which. So we had the occasion printed on our team shirts – the opponents’ name and the date. That way the shirt meant just a little more to the players.’ Then there was the national anthem. ‘So many people over the years had accused members of the Irish team of being “not real Irishmen” and had pointed to how players didn’t sing the anthem when it was played. One man wrote to me with the anthem in Gaelic phonetics! I loved it. We all learned it and sang our hearts out. I wanted them all to celebrate what they were doing and what they were standing for as players.’
One important consideration though is when to celebrate and when to refocus. Glenn Hoddle takes great delight in the shared joy of a team: ‘It’s really important that the players and the manager celebrate success together. There’s a great feeling of camaraderie that comes from working together as a unit for a period of time when it’s gone really well. The players will take their lead from the manager. They’ll enjoy the feeling, then when it comes round to the next season or the next match, they’re looking to the manager to lead the refocus. But for the manager, you are planning again almost as soon as you’ve enjoyed the success.’
Keeping a successful side’s feet on the ground while encouraging proper celebration is an art. Wenger again takes a long-term view: ‘Again it comes back to values. When you have a team like we have with 18 different nationalities you have first to create a culture, a sense of who we are as a unit, what makes us different from other people, how we can create something that is common to all of us. So you have to recreate a new way to behave – an Arsenal culture. To define it, I go through what is important to my group. It’s explicit. We sit down and we go through how we want to behave. That counts also for our response to success.’ Wenger understands that his long-term values as a leader will dictate his team’s behaviours in the face of both temporary triumph and temporary despair.
The Masterful Leader
An old Chinese story tells of a farmer whose only horse runs away. ‘How terrible!’ say his neighbours. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer. The next day his horse returns, bringing along three wild horses. ‘How wonderful!’ say his neighbours. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer. The following day his son tries to tame one of the wild horses, but he falls off and breaks his leg. ‘How terrible!’ say his neighbours. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer. The next day some soldiers come along to force young men of the village to join them in war. Because the lad has a broken leg, he is left behind. ‘How fortunate!’ say the neighbours. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer. The soldiers, still one man short, take the young man’s cousin instead. ‘How dreadful!’ say the farmer’s neighbours. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer. That night a landslide covers the house in which the cousin would have been sleeping if he had not been taken by the soldiers. ‘How fortunate!’ say the friends. ‘Maybe!’ says the farmer.
Joy and pain in football – like in business – both tend to be short-lived, and can turn on a single result. The compelling image is of the masterful leader who remains centred in all circumstances, radiating to his people a steadiness that they can rely on. Few would claim to be that all the time; but in the whirlwind of senior professional football, the centred leaders have a noticeable advantage.
1. Instead of despairing, great leaders take ownership and responsibility:
There are few sights more disheartening for a team or organisation than a leader who blames everyone and everything but himself. Ownership is the key. The owner cannot be a victim. He also moves on quickly from defeat while taking the learnings, is strong in his fact-based self-belief, is deliberately and forensically optimistic, puts setbacks into context and treats crises as opportunities for growth. He also has a source – a place of refuge to which he can return.
2. Instead of exaggerating success, great leaders take satisfaction and put it into context:
In that way, Moyes could take both Champions League qualification and exit in his stride.
3. When it comes to sharing the pain, great leaders make choices:
Different circumstances require different approaches from a leader. Sometimes it is good to show vulnerability, at other times it is essential to protect your people from the vagaries of the environment in which they work. The key is to do what you do intentionally and with careful consideration of the impact you will have.
4. When it comes to sharing the joy, great leaders celebrate well and yet remain measured:
Not to celebrate genuine success appears heartless and is counter-productive. But great leaders somehow manage also to anchor their people in something more long lasting.
If there is one lesson to take from all this, it is the tendency of great leaders to take ownership of their situations, however difficult. In the words of Mick McCarthy: ‘Of course there was mitigation – there’s always mitigation. But I signed the players and I picked the team.’ Such an approach displays integrity and inspires respect. It is a mark of the masterful leader.
AFTERWORD
This book offers an insight into the work, thoughts, feelings and practices of some of the most recognisable leaders i
n the world game. It does not tell the whole story, of course – there is much more.
But it does tell one very important story: a story often repeated, and yet often forgotten. It is a story of human beings. Despite their differences in culture, frames of reference, personal insight and professional perspective, all the managers I have met agree on one thing. Leadership is all about people. Whatever his goals, whatever his grand vision – no leader will achieve anything truly worthwhile without the ability to inspire his people.
The great football leaders need to know their technical skills – they are all coaches first. But it is their willingness and ability to really connect with their players on an individual and personal level that marks them out from the crowd. The leader who invests the time and energy needed to get below the surface with his people will be breaking records when his peers have fallen away. This is the leader who will leave a true legacy.
May this book make a real contribution to the growth and understanding of leaders and their people both in football and beyond.
A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR
Mike Carson worked for McKinsey & Company for five years and is now a partner and co-owner of the consulting business Aberkyn, specialising in business and human transformation. He’s a leadership expert and a Manchester City fan, and lives in Winchester with his wife and four children.
First published in Great Britain in 2013
This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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