INNERGISE!

No doubt you will have seen many articles following the sacking of David Moyes and what leadership lessons can be learnt. Here are a few key points that we’ve picked up on that are worth mentioning:

Develop Your Second Tier Leadership

There is no doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson achieved massive success and took Manchester United to the highest level but there was always going to come a time when he would no longer be in charge – succession planning is vital.

During his successful championship winning years Ferguson would have worked with many support staff who understood what it took to reach the top and maintain consistency throughout the seasons and team changes. This experience of working with one of the most successful football managers of all time and shareholder disagreements with top level management changes would have been a great opportunity to develop staff further with the possibility of developing the next leader from within the club.

Many successful leaders at winning companies have come from this team approach. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple joined Apple in 1998 as Senior Vice President, in 2007 he went on to become COO and acting CEO during Steve Jobs’ medical leave.

Ensure Support Staff are in Place During Leadership Transition

When joining Manchester United, Moyes had never won a major trophy as a manager from his previous role and was instantly on the back foot when it came to medal winning numbers.

During this managerial change there were also significant changes in the backroom staff with Moyes choosing to bring staff from Everton with him. Whilst this set the tone with Moyes asserting his authority it also left Moyes lacking the experience, knowledge and steadiness that had allowed Manchester United to become so dominant.

Manage Change with your Employees

Roy Keane has openly criticised Manchester United players saying “they should be ashamed of themselves; they really let him (Moyes) down”. We don’t know how the payers honestly felt about Moyes being appointed and his management of the team but it is clear that players need to believe in their manager and team.

If they players aren’t engaged with the manager and the objectives and goals of the team then they won’t perform to their best. Address this disconnect as soon as it is visible, if it is left festering it can become toxic and destroy the morale and ultimately the performance of the team.

Manage your Communications

When you’ve made a decision, make an announcement to avoid rumours and distortion of truths. Media outlets were reporting the sacking of Moyes before it had even been announced – this led to conversations revolving around Moyes’ payoff and potential replacements when the message could have been about a new beginning and the interim team they were confident in while they look for the permanent manager.

It is interesting to see a stable club like Manchester United deal with these turbulent times and in particular it will be interesting to see who they appoint next and the what the 2014/2015 season holds for Manchester United.