I wrote last time about the importance role man-management skills played in Sir Alex Ferguson’s success. Of course, this is not to diminish the importance of team management skills. Today, I’d like to take a few moments to examine this other crucial aspect of the role.
Ferguson’s broad approach to team management was to wield his authority selectively so as to not undermine the gains he earned through his man management. He was careful to consistently offer quick and clear answers to all matters. If someone came to him with a difficult question, Ferguson sought to buy time until he had a clear answer rather than risk undermining his own authority with a vague or meandering response. He might buy time by praising the thinking rather than answering the question, perhaps by saying – I’ve never considered that angle, let me think about it a little bit. His goal was to avoid any sense of indecision because he feared weak answers would lead to him losing respect from the team. Along these same lines, he often avoided dealing with any issues that would not benefit from his direct intervention, preferring instead to give time and opportunity for the problem to work itself out. If his intervention was eventually required, he sought to hear all sides of the issue in order to make a fair and informed decision.
This does not mean Ferguson shied away from confrontation. In fact, longtime observers might contend the exact opposite. He simply believed that managers did not need to seek out confrontation – the nature of the role meant confrontations eventually found the manager. This might be especially true when a team was undergoing a cultural change of some kind – his attempts to eliminate bad habits, routines, or influences would invite head-on confrontation while the process of introducing new ideas would take a gradual and therefore smoother process.
His primary goal in team management was to cultivate a type of environment where players could be stimulated by a challenge without feeling pressured by its enormity. Just as he recognized that failed players at other clubs might perform better in his team simply due to a change in scenery, he knew that any great player in his charge could be ruined if he failed to cultivate the right environment in his team. His approach to tactics reflected this mentality. Despite being as tactically astute as any of his rivals, he prioritized ingraining an energizing sense of unity, togetherness, and team spirit into his clubs. Therefore, although he might have had plenty to offer his players in terms of specific tips or advice, once he made his strategy, tactics, and expectations clear for a given match, he opted to leave his team alone so as to not suggest a lack of confidence in the team.
