Visionary Leader Paper

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of a strong and cohesive team. According to him, no superstar, no matter how good, is bigger than the team. In another remarkable display of humility, Sir Alex congratulated Manchester United’s greatest arch rivals – Manchester City – after they won the English League title on the last day of the season in 2012. The title could have been won by either team. In 2011, Ferguson infamously called Manchester City their “noisy neighbors” in the build up to one of their derby games. Even though Sir Alex was forced to eat his words at the end of the season he still managed to display that all too rare humility leaders show after losing to a rival. Ferguson was in philosophical mood afterwards and congratulated Manchester City on winning a first league title since 1968. He said "Nobody expected that. Everybody expected City to win, but they did it against 10 men for half an hour and with five extra minutes to help them, but I congratulate City on winning the league. Anybody who wins it deserves it, because it’s a long haul.”

Established Strong Foundation

One major cognitive factor Sir Alex possessed was his farsightedness and conceptual thinking. One of Sir Alex’s greatest achievements was rebuilding the club and focusing attention on building a strong youth academy. Having developed many of the club’s best players such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers and Nicky Butt; the youth structures set up by Ferguson continue to guarantee the club success now and into the future. By so doing, Sir Alex ensured the club was in sound financial standing. Sir Alex oversaw the Manchester United’s listing on the NYSE. The club managed to raise $14 billion in its initial public offering (IPO). Leaders must always be succession planning and investing in the development of their young talent. This ensures the culture, ethos and experience established within a successful organization far outlasts their time at the top. Sir Alex was pure genius when it came to developing youth talent at the club. The man had an eye for special talent. His focus on youth development at Manchester United proved that he was not only concerned about immediate success but also the long term future of the club. Manchester United has maintained a constant position in the top three of Forbes Soccer Rich List.

Hybrid Style

Sir Alex’s leadership style, I’d say, was a hybrid between task and relationship. He displayed a task-related attitude by setting clear directions and high performance standards for his team. Sir Alex didn’t tolerate players who didn’t seem to pull their weight on the pitch. First team players that lacked ambition and drive were immediately dropped from Ferguson’s squad. A supportive leader gives frequent encouragement and praise even in non-work related matters (DuBrin, 2012). In 1958, seven Manchester United players were among 21 dead in a Munich air crash. Manchester United was travelling back from a European Cup match when the crash happened. The deaths included several members of Manchester United’s first team. During Sir Alex’s reign as Manchester United manager, every year on the anniversary, he offers emotional support to family members of the deceased through press releases and also offers his support to team members who may need it.

I would enjoy working for Sir Alex just because he managed to get the best out every player he had. His style of man-management will motivate me to drive for success even though I may not be the most skilled/talented person in the world. Manchester United didn’t have the most expensive roster in the Premier League but managed to win league titles year in and year out. Ferguson’s man management skills surpassed all others in the league. This was justified when he retired in May 2013. The team he led to 13 English league titles and 25 other major trophies in 26 years has since been in a tailspin. His chosen successor, David Moyes, took them to just seventh place in the English Premier League, causing them to miss out on the lucrative European Champions League, which in 2013-2014 earned the club $53 million in broadcasting revenue. What makes it even more intriguing is the fact that the squad left by Ferguson for David Moyes was the same squad that won the league the year before. Accounting firm, Deloitte, estimates that the loss of Champions League soccer could cost the club up to $84 million.

Nevertheless, Sir Alex turned Manchester United from a good club to a great club, just as Jim Collins describes in his article “Good to Great”. As Jim did with his analogy of the egg and the chicken, the same can be applied to Manchester United. Manchester United’s growth did not happen overnight. Ferguson’s leadership skills and behaviors took the club gradually from strength to strength; from winning the FA Cup in his first season as coach, to winning the Treble in 1999. Ferguson never looked like a leader that was going to quit. Fittingly enough, on the last day of the season at Old Trafford (Manchester United’s home stadium), Sir Alex was teary eyed as he thanked the fans, staff and players for their support throughout his time there. He acknowledged that his success wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for their support. Kouzes and Posner point out in their book (The Leadership Challenge) that not enough people make enough use of the most powerful but inexpensive two-word rewards – “thank you”.

Based on the above, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Sir Alex Ferguson qualifies as a true visionary leader.

References

DuBrin, A. J. (2012). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage.

Kouzes, James M.,Posner, Barry Z. (2012) The leadership challenge :how to keep getting extraordinary things done in organizations San Francisco : Jossey-Bass

1958: United players killed in air disaster. (1958, February 6). BBC. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/6/newsid_2535000/2535961.stm

A Scot at Harvard: How Much Can Business Leaders Learn from Soccer’s Most Successful Coach? (2014). Newsweek Global, 163(8), 77–84.

Grant, A. M., & Hartley, M. (2013). Developing the leader as coach: insights, strategies and tips for embedding coaching skills in the workplace. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research & Practice, 6(2), 102–115. doi:10.1080/17521882.2013.824015

Jackson, J. (2013, September 19). Ferguson heaps praise on Rooney in bid to build bridges. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/19/wayne-rooney-sir-alex-ferguson

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