This season’s merry-go-round has
been much calmer than normal but that hasn’t stopped the usual flood of media rumour
and counter rumour as agents and clubs look to bolster their positions in the
market. Interestingly there is always constant
argument between the pundits and commentators as to the merits and demerits of
each individual player and their “fit” with the new club’s pattern of play and
the likelihood of the player single-handedly delivering success. However, one thing that is almost universally
acknowledged by the pundits, is that the successful clubs are those that have
quality leaders and that those clubs that are very successful have a “spine of
leadership” (both on and off the field).
Now when it comes to defining the
specifics of what is meant by “leadership” or even a “spine of leadership” in
the context of a football club, it is again a matter of great debate. However, what is clear is that it is
generally agreed that having a spine of leadership is about the creation of
positive relationships between individual leaders that runs from the Boardroom
onto the pitch. It is therefore not
just the quality of the individual leaders but also the quality of the
relationships between the leaders that is the determinant of overall
success. A club will not be very successful
if it merely has good individual leaders who are locked in constant ego battles
and arguments with each other – it needs to generate positive, value adding
relationships between the leaders.
Now, this concept of a leadership spine
provides a rich theme for discussion and analysis when applied in a business
context. It really does suggest that
the key to running an effective business is to ensure that you have “good”
leaders deployed from the Boardroom, through the C-suite and out into the
functions charged with the day-to-day delivery of the business.
Imagine an enterprise where, not
only are individuals recruited at all levels based on a combination of their
individual technical capabilities, their leadership capabilities and their
ability to work as leaders up and down the organization, but also an enterprise
where the development of positive bonds and interactions between the leaders at
all levels is developed and managed.
These would be the enterprises that are truly investing in developing a
leadership spine and sustainable success.
However, what I can quite happily
say, without fear of too much contradiction, is the holistic view required to
recruit and develop the leadership spine is as haphazard within the corporate
enterprise as it appears to be within so many of the UK’s leading football
clubs. Why? Well I guess it all gets a bit hard,
particularly given the demands on both the senior executives/Chairmen to
demonstrate success almost instantaneously.
Unsurprisingly it therefore becomes much more prudent to attempt to sign
a single new messianic leader, who can deliver results from day one, rather
than look to build a balanced, leadership team and ethic throughout the
business. With this approach the good
news is that when it fails there is already a built in scapegoat to take the
blame.
