Football is very different to business and the two worlds are very different, and I wager that it is not easy to transfer from business to football.
The culture of football needs to change and to "embrace change as a good thing", if it is to move forward and needs also to position itself to where it needs to be, to progress and get better. A mammoth task it would most certainly be to under take, in persuading football clubs to “do things that they don’t want to do.”
There are such a diversity of fans and supporters and there is a need for equal representation to reflect those many representatives of the various stakeholders.
"Directors who become too involved in trying to run the playing side of their clubs: You don’t just put personal passion into football [I am of course an exception to the rule], If you can’t get people to recognise between reason and passion then you are doomed to fail.
It has become quite apparent to me that the corporate sector who is also in on the game, with management consultants, lawyers and accountants they are increasingly creating their own sporting divisions through advising football clubs, "from the top of the Barclays Premier League through to those in the lower divisions". My thought on this issue is that it is important to maintain a two-way relationship. Just as football managers are required to manage their high achievers as a team, but also at the same time encouraging them to take individual responsibility and Gérard Houllier, I recall reading about the motivational talks he gives to corporate teams on how man-management is the key to a successful organization.
Gérard Houllier said,“In the world of football we talk about strategy, finance, business partners and the competition as well as management. So there are similarities. But then again there are big differences,” he says. “For example, in a corporate team if someone is off sick someone else can generally take on their role easily. And if someone has a difficult attitude you can simply get rid of them because in business you are dealing with individuals who are not as well known in the media. In football, it is not so simple. We need to nurture our stars and keep them on board” [not when the "stars" disrespect a club 's BRAND,Gérard through a Global Window that is paid to peer through by the viewing consumer...Bad for business and the clubs coffers]. When it comes to the successful creation of a football team, Mr. Houllier eschews the classic business maxim that achievement is 80% effort and 20% talent and points to a 95/5 ratio — 95% being effort and the 5% talent. “The players have to be talented to get there in the first place at the highest level. But then you need to define their roles for them, to get inside their heads to work out what makes them tick. That is the manager’s job. The captain is the relay between the players and the manager, getting the message across. Again, in business there are different dynamics.”
In the Barclays Premier League and other football leagues, “football managers are expected to take on a vast range of roles, from recruitment and human resources through training to finance.” A top team manager's role has changed hugely too because the Barclays Premier League has grown to become a mammoth business. “Now the manager works hand in hand with the CEO who looks after all of the financial side, especially players’ contracts and transfers which are all done between the agents and the CEO,” he says, adding that “the CEO may listen to what players the manager would like [to have], but after that he does the rest.”
The culture of football needs to change and to "embrace change as a good thing", if it is to move forward and needs also to position itself to where it needs to be, to progress and get better. A mammoth task it would most certainly be to under take, in persuading football clubs to “do things that they don’t want to do.”
There are such a diversity of fans and supporters and there is a need for equal representation to reflect those many representatives of the various stakeholders.
"Directors who become too involved in trying to run the playing side of their clubs: You don’t just put personal passion into football [I am of course an exception to the rule], If you can’t get people to recognise between reason and passion then you are doomed to fail.
It has become quite apparent to me that the corporate sector who is also in on the game, with management consultants, lawyers and accountants they are increasingly creating their own sporting divisions through advising football clubs, "from the top of the Barclays Premier League through to those in the lower divisions". My thought on this issue is that it is important to maintain a two-way relationship. Just as football managers are required to manage their high achievers as a team, but also at the same time encouraging them to take individual responsibility and Gérard Houllier, I recall reading about the motivational talks he gives to corporate teams on how man-management is the key to a successful organization.
Gérard Houllier said,“In the world of football we talk about strategy, finance, business partners and the competition as well as management. So there are similarities. But then again there are big differences,” he says. “For example, in a corporate team if someone is off sick someone else can generally take on their role easily. And if someone has a difficult attitude you can simply get rid of them because in business you are dealing with individuals who are not as well known in the media. In football, it is not so simple. We need to nurture our stars and keep them on board” [not when the "stars" disrespect a club 's BRAND,Gérard through a Global Window that is paid to peer through by the viewing consumer...Bad for business and the clubs coffers]. When it comes to the successful creation of a football team, Mr. Houllier eschews the classic business maxim that achievement is 80% effort and 20% talent and points to a 95/5 ratio — 95% being effort and the 5% talent. “The players have to be talented to get there in the first place at the highest level. But then you need to define their roles for them, to get inside their heads to work out what makes them tick. That is the manager’s job. The captain is the relay between the players and the manager, getting the message across. Again, in business there are different dynamics.”
In the Barclays Premier League and other football leagues, “football managers are expected to take on a vast range of roles, from recruitment and human resources through training to finance.” A top team manager's role has changed hugely too because the Barclays Premier League has grown to become a mammoth business. “Now the manager works hand in hand with the CEO who looks after all of the financial side, especially players’ contracts and transfers which are all done between the agents and the CEO,” he says, adding that “the CEO may listen to what players the manager would like [to have], but after that he does the rest.”
Support Staff.
The needs of top-tiered teams have to also be met, hence the mushrooming of support staff and they also need to be managed, “Whereas, there used to be just one physiotherapist, now there’s an entire team of fitness experts, dieticians, psychologists and so on, and so on.When playing an away game you need an extra bus for this delegation of backroom boys and girls and that is also the responsibility of a manager.
The manager still has to be responsible five crucial things:
1. The Players- which is probably the easiest part in most cases.
2. The Media - a daunting task if one's team has lost a game, and deal with 'off the pitch' questions too.
3. The Public - If disappointed, they ensure via audible criticisms and the various forums that the manager is the culpable one for a loss of their beloved teams.
4. The Club Directors - To give a report on all matters relative to a team's performance and targets obtained.
5. The Agents - The scourge of all CLUBS!
However, a manager can effectively like a football game of astute tactics, effectively manage his/her five crucial responsibilities if he/she appoints the right, qualified support staff. The manager also requires an effective and efficient Number 2, who can tend to the dressing room, whilst the manager is otherwise engaged in dialogue in the boardroom.
Many hard-pressed CEOs would agree that they need a good deputy on whom they can rely. I therefore ask, are there further lessons to be learned for the corporate world? What are the long-term objectives between the manager and the CEO?
“The manager is intent on sporting success, and to achieve that he is only too happy to spend the owner’s money. So, if you look at clubs where the manager is too powerful there are usually financial issues. You need a strong business manager to stand up against the team manager.”
Perhaps there are currently not enough executive leaders in football, two comparisons - in other industries that rely disproportionately on top talent, are advertising and investment banking. Both face similar leadership issues, so it is more about learning from each other rather than football learning from business.
Cheers
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