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www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 26 November 2016
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By ADRIAN YAP CHENG KHIN
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T
HE English Premier League has come to resemble the proverbial “game of thrones” this season. A long-anticipated manager “merry-go-round” recently began its spin on the Premier League, landing some – many might say most – of the world’s top football managers’ jobs within the league. Highly-sought bosses Jürgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino are already sitting comfortably in their respective jobs with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspurs. Now, we have the influx of former Bayern Munich coach Josep “Pep” Guardiola at Manchester City, former Italy manager Antonio Conte at Chelsea and the returning José Mourinho at Manchester United, eight months after his stint at Chelsea last season ended with a capitulation of form which led to his subsequent sacking. The billing is, frankly, rather spectacular, with enough intensity and personality in there to power a soap opera. Since the start of the season in August, all three incoming star managers have enjoyed mixed starts, with all three employing varying tactics, methods and leadership styles to impose their imprint on their respective teams. We thought it would be a great idea to distil some of the leadership characteristics that have made the three managers so successful at this high level of sportsmanship. Here are three key characteristics each that underline their respective management philosophies:
Leaders of Men
Contrasting leadership styles of three new English Premier League superstar managers
José Mourinho
1. The Pragmatist – José Mourinho (Manchester United)
n When he is not rummaging through CD bargain bins, Adrian divides his time between managing talent for a local bank, observing and commenting on human behaviour on his blog, building nonsensical music playlists and being a “kaiju” connoisseur. You can also connect with Adrian on Twitter at @adrianyapck. To give your commentary on the various styles of managing football clubs by other managers, write to us at editor@ leaderonomics.com
Mourinho is obviously the one with the slight advantage, having managed Chelsea to three league titles in two separate stints. He knows how to win in this league, although he struggled incredibly last season before his aforementioned sack. His pragmatism: • One size never fits all Mourinho’s mantra is “winning.” That seems rather silly considering he is a football manager, but the man has made a career out of winning at all costs. If what is needed to win is a seven-foot giant that would tackle the opposition’s key player out of the stadium and into the storm drain, he would do it without blinking an eye. He always has a solution for each specific problem that’s stopping him from winning. • Keep your real cards close to your chest Mourinho talks a lot. At times, you might even think he is oversharing, but he is really just saying everything he wants you to hear. What he truly thinks is something not many people would really know. The man’s reputation as a strategic thinker goes beyond the football field. Talk of intentional mind games and media distraction strategies abound, and when they circulate that much, they must be true to an extent. • Stand your ground Mourinho famously stood his ground last season despite facing a tribunal hearing for the unfair treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro, a revolt from some of his team’s biggest stars and his team’s humiliating form throughout the season. He would not buck under pressure and doggedly maintained his position on these matters up until the day he was sacked on Dec 17.
2. The Philosopher – Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Guardiola comes with amazing pedigree, having forged sensationally good teams during his stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Antonio Conte
Leaders need to know where they are going if they expect their employees to follow them. His philosophy: • Know what you want. . . . . .And of course, know what you don’t want, too. Not long after arriving at Manchester City, Guardiola became rather adamant that he did not want long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart at the club. Reason? He wanted to initiate attacks from the goalkeeper and he felt Hart was just not good enough with his feet. He was subsequently loaned out to Italian club Torino as Guardiola brought in Chilean international Claudio Bravo as his replacement. It was a bold move given Hart’s stature at the club. • Trust the plan Guardiola had a set way he wanted his team to play and he was never going to deviate from it. Why should he? He has won many titles and honours in both Spain and Germany by playing this brand of football. This was what attracted Manchester City to him in the first place. Not even when things were going pear-shaped in Sep/Oct, when the team was without a win in six, did he ever once doubt his philosophy. • Trust your people Since he was brought in, Bravo has made a string of howlers by trying to play Guardiola’s style. There are critics asking why Hart was dispatched so readily in
Josep Guardiola light of this. Guardiola appears unshaken by these criticisms of Bravo and continues to defend him as the goalkeeper carries on playing in the same way, as risky as it is.
3. The Driver – Antonio Conte (Chelsea)
Conte is the upstart, having dominated the Italian Serie A with his Juventus team leading up to his appointment as Italy’s head coach. He is untested outside of Italy. His drive: • Always ready to motivate Conte tends to say less after matches. Not because he has nothing to say, but because his throat would’ve taken a battering from his incessant shouting of instructions to his players from the touchline during the game. He leaves little to chance and sees himself as de facto motivator for the team, a role he seems glad to play constantly. • Help your people understand Conte has managed to successfully turn the team’s formation, tactics and training approaches on their heads within a short period of time. They play the way he wants them to now. That would not have been possible without him first sitting his players down and helping them understand what he wants from them and what he wants to play. The success they are currently having with the 3-4-3 formation probably started at the lunch table and not on a football pitch. • Be meticulous Some would call Conte a little extreme. Tales of how, as a player, he used to painfully document every single permutation of a pass in different parts of the field
and how he doesn’t really sleep much before games as a manager because he would be kept up all night thinking about tactics serves to prove this point. He is successful both as a player and now as a manager because he is ridiculously meticulous about all aspects of his job. He leaves no stone unturned in his quest for success.
Concluding thoughts
Given the success that all three managers have had throughout their respective careers, there are obviously many paths one can take to achieve success. However, what is certain is that you have to first chart a path that you want to take. Keep in mind that leadership styles vary and not all players will agree with the manager’s style, but having “a” style would certainly be a prerequisite if one wants to lead successfully at all. This is no different in an organisation. Leader need to know where they are going if they expect their employees to follow them. There will surely be people who do not agree with your vision. Historically, all three managers have famously fallen out with some of the best players in the world. It doesn’t mean they are bad managers or that those players are not up to scratch. It’s just a disagreement over working styles. There will be times when your methods have your whole department on point. Trust your methods, especially if you’ve seen results. However, before anything else happens, think about what kind of leader you would like to be based on your personality and your strengths. It starts with that.
