His name is Alex Ferguson or as he is recognized in his country Sir Alex Ferguson. At 76, he has more than 49 trophies as a soccer coach, 39 of them with the English club, Manchester United. The retired director, who served the club for around 26 years, recently published his fourth book, this time about leadership and what he learned in these years of career.
A documentary about the secrets of his success was also broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom. This Scotsman is known not only for establishing Manchester United as one of the most important sports teams in soccer in the world, but also for establishing the club’s brand as one of the most successful, generating millions of pounds of revenue annually.
Despite how he himself describes it in his book “I am not an expert director or a business guru” simply: “my whole life has revolved around soccer”, today he is an example of leadership and business administration for students at the Harvard Business School. Today experts have recognized the talent of this coach by comparing him to leaders like Steve Jobs.
See also: The 10 best Steve Jobs phrases that every entrepreneur should know
But why did this coach become so famous? What was it that set you apart from other football executives and coaches to be compared to billionaires and leaders like Steve Jobs? What are the secrets of his success? At ModoEmprendedor we believe that he is an excellent example of leadership for any entrepreneur, so here are some of the most important lessons from Alex Ferguson, former manager and coach of the famous Manchester United team:
1. Have a unique vision
From the first moment he joined the club, Ferguson not only cared about the team winning, keeping his fans happy like all other football managers did, but he also took it upon himself to build a sports club with the highest reputation in the industry.
The fans only care about the team winning every game, but Alex Ferguson knew there was much more to his job than that. He had a unique and broad vision of where he wanted the club to go. It became a business model for other soccer clubs to follow over the years.
2. Facing the challenges of the existing culture in organizations
Ferguson knew how to deal with an organization that was in trouble and headed for failure. On his arrival at Manchester United in 1986, there was a strong culture of alcoholism within the club. After training the employees had the habit of going to drink until late at night. The new coach identified this problem and confronted his team immediately, warning them that this behavior had to change if he wanted the team to win. He also brought in new players with new ambitions that would refresh the existing culture and team.
3. Create a positive culture within the company
Alex Ferguson describes how he built a great family spirit at the club.
Professor Anita Elbersen of Harvard Business School declares: “He cared just as much about the women in the service as he did about Cristiano Ronaldo.” The manager knew each person’s name and was always ready to strike up a friendly conversation.
Recognizing each individual in the company and their contribution, knowing what they were doing and what their progress was, is a quality of a great leader. Cristiano Ronaldo describes his former coach as his “dad” in football and declares that everyone at Manchester United “felt like family”.
4. Promote discipline and commitment
It is essential for any team that wants to achieve the same objective to maintain constant commitment and discipline. Ferguson knew that if he did not discipline the club, it would not win soccer tournaments.
Cristiano Ronaldo says: “He had a strong character when the team lost or was doing things wrong. Also, he was always the first to arrive and the first to leave.
A leader is capable of making an organization grow by making its employees and their ambitions lead them to achieve as a group and individually something that they did not think they were capable of doing before.
5. Make tough decisions
A leader is characterized by his qualities when making decisions, including some that are difficult or seem unfair. Alex Ferguson had to replace Manchester players who were getting old on the field and bring new members to the club despite the fact that within the team they were all a family. He was relentless when it came to making important decisions.
6. Attention to small details.
What is attention to small details all about? Ferguson knew it, he always took care of the image of the Manchester United brand. He made all the players wear the blazer with the team logo on and off the court. He said: “they represented the brand of the company” “Small points for the top of the mountain” which represented that everyone contributed to the success and image of the organization.
7. Teach the value of teamwork
One of the most important values for the former Manchester United manager was to make all his players understand the value of working together, of making sacrifices for the team. Cristiano Ronaldo says: “He mentioned if you want to win something you have to do everything together, you have to be together, work together.” A leader must be able to maintain constant motivation for his team.
See also: 6 Business Books more valuable than doing an MBA
8. Innovation and change
Leadership is a balance of listening learning and leading. According to Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse, “Alex Ferguson’s Great Legacy was his success for around 25 years and he was able to rebuild the team more than 4 times.”
Constantly rebuilding an organization is not an easy task. Always being out of your comfort zone and looking for tools to improve are values of today’s great leaders.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
