Page 409 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

408 Part 4 • Leading
CaSE aPPLICatION 2
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Serving Up Leaders

he success achieved by Manchester United Football terrifying, and ultimately extremely successful leaders in
Club a professional football club based in Old Trafford, highly competitive arenas. While Jobs had an unapologeti-
TEngland, between 1986 and 2013, is evident by their 38 cally blunt and aggressive approach, Ferguson would vary
domestic and non-domestic trophies. his managing style—shouting at some players and taking a
With the trophies came different approach with oth-
scrutiny, the UK and world ers. This could appear to be
media were fascinated by The LEADERSHIP game an arbitrary and inconsistent
the leadership at Manchester approach but was actually a
United. There were tales of conscious choice made by a
the manager shouting at players in the dressing room with manager who really knew his players and understood how to
such ferocity that it was referred to as the ‘hairdryer treat- get the best out of each one. When it was necessary to instill
ment’. One journalist recounts, from personal experience, discipline in players, to ensure a positive working relation-
how this treatment was not reserved just for the players! His ship, Ferguson would deal with the issue immediately and
high expectations were not restricted to the football pitch. move on.
When the Captain openly criticized his teammates in an in- Ferguson knew the importance of detail. As a manager,
terview, his contract was terminated. While these make good knowing the names of your team is obviously essential, but
headlines, they do not comprise the whole story. he understood that the organization was bigger than the team,
Is it really possible to lead an organization so effectively learning the names of all the support staff and taking time to
for over a quarter of a century just by having the loudest voice talk to them. One interviewer commented that by the end of a
and a fearsome reputation? How did Alex Ferguson, the man- filming session Ferguson had learned the name of the film crew
ager of Manchester United F. C. for those 26 years, lead his and was happy to converse with them whilst sharing a bottle of
team so effectively? champagne.
When Ferguson joined Manchester United in 1986 he In 2014, Ferguson took up a teaching post in executive
had very definite ideas of how he was going to build his club. education with the Harvard Business School, and his book
Planning for long term success, he set about changing the very ‘Leading’ was published in 2015. 77
culture of the club—no small task. He tackled a damaging
drink culture head on and encouraged a strong work ethic, be- Discussion Questions
ing the first into the office and last to leave. To increase the 12-19 What leadership theories do you feel Ferguson’s actions sup-
players’ feeling of commitment and belonging he insisted that port?
when representing the club they should dress as Manchester 12-20 What leadership traits can you see being demonstrated in the
United, wearing blazers displaying the club badge. These case?
things all contributed to his vision. 12-21 To what degree has emotional intelligence played a part in
The club’s former chief executive David Gill compared Alex Ferguson’s success?
Alex Ferguson to Steve Jobs. And there are some obvi- 12-22 What do you see as the possible problems of varying the lead-
ous similarities. Both men were driven, determined, often ership approach with different players?