Wests Tigers supporters and officials will probably have no patience nor the stomach (who can blame them) to start all over again and consider the great Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson's formula for success? When he took over at Manchester, the club was in dire straights: It hadn't won a league title in nearly 20 years and faced a very real threat of being relegated to a lower division. In 26 seasons under Ferguson United won 38 domestic and international trophies (including13 English Premier League titles). How did he do it?
The observation was that Ferguson provided eight leadership lessons that capture crucial elements of his approach and success (paraphrased):
1. START WITH THE FOUNDATION - in 1986 upon his arrival he set about creating a structure for the LONG TERM by modernizing United's youth program
2. DARE TO REBUILD YOUR TEAM - even in times of great success, Ferguson worked to rebuild his team (a bit like the Sydney Swans, Panthers, Storm & Roosters). He is credited with assembling five distinct league-winning squads during his time at the club and continue to win trophies at the same time.
3. SET HIGH STANDARDS- AND HOLD EVERYONE TO THEM - Ferguson spoke passionately about wanting to in-still values in his players. More than giving them technical skills, he wanted to inspire them to strive to do better and never give up - in other words to make them winners.
4. NEVER, EVER CEDE CONTROL - "You can't ever lose control - not when you are dealing with 30 top professionals (who most were millionaires), and if any of the players tried to take him on or to challenge his authority and control "I dealt with them" he was quoted.
5. MATCH THE MESSAGE TO THE MOMENT - when it came to communicating decisions to his players, Ferguson - perhaps for a manager with a reputation for being tough and demanding- worked hard to tailor his words for the situation.
6. PREPARE TO WIN - his teams had a knack for pulling out victories in the later stages of games. Inspirational halftime talks and tactical changes had a lot to do with the wins.
7. REPLY ON THE POWER OF OBSERVATION - he increasingly delegated the training sessions to his assistant coaches but he was always present and he watched. The switch from coaching to observing allowed him to better evaluate the players and their performances. As a coach you don't see everything but a regular observer, however, can spot changes in training patterns, energy levels, and work rates.
8. NEVER STOP ADAPTING - in his 25 years of at United the world of football changed dramatically from the financial stakes involved to the science for what makes players better. It was never easy but he responded positively to change.
The observation was that Ferguson provided eight leadership lessons that capture crucial elements of his approach and success (paraphrased):
1. START WITH THE FOUNDATION - in 1986 upon his arrival he set about creating a structure for the LONG TERM by modernizing United's youth program
2. DARE TO REBUILD YOUR TEAM - even in times of great success, Ferguson worked to rebuild his team (a bit like the Sydney Swans, Panthers, Storm & Roosters). He is credited with assembling five distinct league-winning squads during his time at the club and continue to win trophies at the same time.
3. SET HIGH STANDARDS- AND HOLD EVERYONE TO THEM - Ferguson spoke passionately about wanting to in-still values in his players. More than giving them technical skills, he wanted to inspire them to strive to do better and never give up - in other words to make them winners.
4. NEVER, EVER CEDE CONTROL - "You can't ever lose control - not when you are dealing with 30 top professionals (who most were millionaires), and if any of the players tried to take him on or to challenge his authority and control "I dealt with them" he was quoted.
5. MATCH THE MESSAGE TO THE MOMENT - when it came to communicating decisions to his players, Ferguson - perhaps for a manager with a reputation for being tough and demanding- worked hard to tailor his words for the situation.
6. PREPARE TO WIN - his teams had a knack for pulling out victories in the later stages of games. Inspirational halftime talks and tactical changes had a lot to do with the wins.
7. REPLY ON THE POWER OF OBSERVATION - he increasingly delegated the training sessions to his assistant coaches but he was always present and he watched. The switch from coaching to observing allowed him to better evaluate the players and their performances. As a coach you don't see everything but a regular observer, however, can spot changes in training patterns, energy levels, and work rates.
8. NEVER STOP ADAPTING - in his 25 years of at United the world of football changed dramatically from the financial stakes involved to the science for what makes players better. It was never easy but he responded positively to change.
