The Manager_Issue41_flippingbook

The Magazine of the League Managers Association

Autumn 2019 | ISSUE 41 | £7.50

Chris Wilder Darren Moore

Sir Dave Brailsford, Team INEOS Bernard Petiot, Cirque du Soleil Prof Vin Walsh

“GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND FREEDOM CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE

“WHILEWE MIGHT THINK UP A GREAT IDEA, UNLESS WE CAN TRANSLATE IT INTO SOMETHING SIMPLE, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY PUT INTO PRACTICE, ITWON’T HAVE THE IMPACTWE’RE AFTER.”

WAYS TO DRIVE PERFORMANCE.”

RHYS SMITH

SIR DAVE BRAILSFORD CBE

“WEWANT TO CONTINUE TO EXPRESS OURSELVES AND STICK TOGETHER, AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHERWHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH.”

“ITWAS IMPORTANT I FOUNDWAYS TO KEEP THEM ENERGISED, FORWARD THINKING AND SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER. WE HAD TO ADAPT TO OUR NEW CIRCUMSTANCES.”

CHRISWILDER

DARREN MOORE

DIVERSITY IS A SUCCESS FACTOR AND A CONTRIBUTOR TO CREATIVITY. IT ENABLES US TO SHOWTHE FULL SPECTRUM OF HUMAN CAPABILITY.

“SCREENING AFFORDS PATIENTSWITH PEACE OF MIND AND A VALUABLE

OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS OVERALL HEALTH.”

BERNARD PETIOT

DR SALLY HARRIS

THE LMA INSTITUTE OF LEADERSHIP AND HIGH PERFORMANCE The LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance is established to provide CPD-accredited vocational in-career learning and personal development for the managers, coaches and performance support teams across English football.

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

WELCOME

ALWAYS IMPROVING

It is 11 years since we delivered the pilot edition of The Manager, in which I wrote that I hoped the magazine would provide ‘a distinctive perspective into top level management and an engaging and valuable read’. That we’re still producing the magazine 40-plus editions later is testament to the hard work of all those involved and suggests that my hopes have been realised. The Manager remains of real value to the LMA, to anyone with an interest in leadership and personal development and, most importantly, to our members.    We set out to deliver an alternative to traditional football content and to go deeper into the areas that really matter to our members. Indeed, since its launch, the breadth of topics covered has actually informed and guided the full programme delivered under the LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance, supported by the Premier League. Whereas once the magazine was a standalone concept, it is now the cornerstone of an extensive programme of support services, resources and learning and personal development opportunities, available to all managers and coaches in the professional game. We’re proud of how far we’ve come but, as shown by this edition’s redesign, the LMA does not rest on its laurels. In everything we do, we seek to improve.     Our work within the Institute, and directly with our members, is entirely focused on assisting every individual to reach their potential, while equipping them with skills to cope with the reality of the employment market they’re in. With manager tenures continuing to slide and club structures becoming ever more complex, maintaining a long and meaningful career in football management has never been more challenging.  The game must do more to provide an environment in which coaching and managerial talent can flourish, turning its back on the high-and-fire culture that characterised the last decade. Even more urgently, it must address the serious issues of club mismanagement that threaten the very fabric of our game. If these issues are not addressed, things may look very different in another 11 years from now. 

Richard Bevan, LMA Chief Executive

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CHRIS WILDER - LMA MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2018/19

TH E S I R A L E X F E RGU SON T ROP HY F OR TH E L MA MANAG E R OF TH E Y E A R D E S I GN E D & MAD E B Y THOMA S LY T E

EDITOR’S LETTER

Regular readers will notice we’ve been busy over the summer making some changes to the look and feel of The Manager. We’ve defined the focus areas of our features more clearly and dug deeper into topics with the aid of LMA members, experts from the sporting world and leaders with parallel experience in very different fields. Take Bernard Petiot who, as Vice President of world-renowned Cirque du Soleil, oversees everything from casting and coaching to culture and performance medicine. In our interview we learn that the company recruits many of its performers from competitive sport and a shift in mindset is required for them to become artists as opposed to professional sportspeople. “But we have to adapt also,” says Petiot, “because wherever someone is coming from, be it figure skating or gymnastics, it will have a very different culture. The challenge for us is to take the best not only from their sport, but also from their culture.” The football managers in this edition talk also about the need to adapt and how they have prepared their teams for periods of huge change. For Chris Wilder it was in the run up to the side’s first season in the Premier League, while for Doncaster Rovers manager Darren Moore careful planning was needed when his former side, West Bromwich Albion, dropped down into the Championship. “Travel, recovery schedules and breaks, eating times, everything was different and had to be detailed to precision to help the team adapt and perform at its best,” he says. Hard work, preparation and, as highlighted in this edition, adaptability are fundamental to the success of any team and any leader. In Wilder’s words, “There are different ways to win a game of football and to be successful.”

EDITOR Alice Hoey alicehoey1@gmail.com

EDITOR FOR THE LMA Sue McKellar sue.mckellar@leaguemanagers.com ART DIRECTOR Sarah Ryan sarah.ryan@leaguemanagers.com SENIOR WRITER Mark Farthing mark.farthing@leaguemanagers.com PUBLISHER Jim Souter jim.souter@leaguemanagers.com LMA DIRECTOR (COMMERCIAL) Alex Smith alex.smith@leaguemanagers.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Adam Tarrant adam.tarrant@leaguemanagers.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Action Images

ILLUSTRATIONS/IMAGES istockphoto.com / Flaticon.com

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The League Managers Association, St. George’s Park, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent DE13 9PD The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the League Managers Association, its members, officers or employees. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Alice Hoey, Editor

www.leaguemanagers.com

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LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

AUTUMN 2019 / ISSUE 41

THE LEADER

THE EXPERT RHYS SMITH On why we should think less like chess masters and more like gardeners 11

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THE MANAGER THEWILDER SIDE “[We] earned the right to be in the Premier League, now we need to show everybody that we deserve to stay here.” Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder shares his hopes and expectations 12

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IN-DEPTH EVERY DAY’S A SCHOOL DAY The greatest leaders aren’t just developing their teams, they’re developing themselves

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INTERVIEW SHOWTIME! “For Cirque du Soleil, diversity is a success factor and a contributor to creativity,” Bernard Petiot, VP 10 IDEAS CONCENTRATION AND FOCUS 32 31 Sir Dave Brailsford CBE: translating big ideas into step-by-step improvements Doncaster Rovers manager Darren Moore on preparing for and adapting to change 38 FIRST PERSON PLAN AND ADAPT FROM ANOTHER SPORT ALL THE SMALL THINGS

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LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

CONTENTS

PERSONAL WELLBEING & PERFORMANCE

THE EXPERT DR SALLY HARRIS The case for regular health screening 53

54

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IN-DEPTH LET THERE BE LIGHT Sleeping better starts with managing your waking hours, says Nick Littlehales

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HOWTO WRITE A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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MENTAL HEALTH AND RESILIENCE DEALINGWITH CHANGE Dr Amit Mistry asks, why are we so change averse and how can we cope better? READ, LISTEN, FOLLOW THE CREATIVETHINKING HANDBOOK 67 SPORTS PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY CRUNCH TIME Prof Vin Walsh on improving decision making skills 68

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LMA NEWS

THE GAME

44

73

ROUND-UP Including LMA latest, Diploma in Football Management and highlights from SGP

THE GAME Premier League, The FA and making history in Just A Moment

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TRIBUTE

JUSTIN EDINBURGH

1969-2019

A professional footballer for 18 years, 10 of them at Spurs, Justin Edinburgh’s full-time management career began with successful tenures at semi-professional Fisher Athletic, achieving promotion to Conference South, and Rushden and Diamonds, with whom he reached the play-offs for the Conference Premier. His managerial breakthrough came in 2011, when he was appointed manager of Newport County. Highlights of his four years with the club included reaching the FA Trophy final in 2012, winning Conference Manager of the Month for a brilliant start to the 2012/13 season and being awarded Conference Premier Manager of the Year after successfully achieving promotion to League Two. From February 2015, Edinburgh spent several years at League One side Gillingham, before a short spell at Northampton in the 2016/17 season. He was appointed manager of National League club Leyton Orient in November 2017, guiding them to the top of the table and back into the Football League in the 2018/19 season. M

Justin’s family are raising money to help set up a charity in his memory to benefit health and wellbeing causes. Should you wish to contribute, please visit:

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/justinedinburgh3

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LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

THE LEADER

“HIS SHREWD AND TENACIOUS MANAGEMENT HELPED TURN OUR PERFORMANCES AROUND AND GAVE US A TEAMWE COULD BE PROUD OF - ONE OF THE MOST LIKEABLE ORIENT TEAMSWE HAVE KNOWN. HEWAS CLEARLY DEEPLY LIKED AND ADMIRED BY HIS PLAYERS, WHO OWE HIM A GREAT DEAL.” LEYTON ORIENT FANS’ TRUST

“JUSTINWILL BE REMEMBERED BY ALL IN THE GAME AS A TRUE PROFESSIONAL. A HARD-WORKING MANWHO BECAME SUCCESSFUL AS A PLAYER AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE GAME AND TURNED HIS LOVE OF FOOTBALL INTO A LIFELONG CAREER

AS A COACH AND MANAGER.” HOWARDWILKINSON, LMA CHAIRMAN

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THE LEADER

THE EXPERT

RHYS SMITH Lead like a humble gardener

I n senior leadership roles, it’s seductive to think of ourselves as chess masters in a grand game of strategy. We sit up high in our organisations, with a clear view of what’s happening and what needs to be done. We look for patterns, respond to the competition andmove our pieces to seek an advantage. We alone have the authority to observe, decide and act. The real world, of course, is very different. Creating and leading high-performing teams is highly complex and we see the same tension played out, time and time again, the balance between Understandably, leaders are reluctant to relinquish control; you can devolve decision-making but never responsibility. However, we see consistently that the most successful teams are those in whichmembers operate with smart autonomy. To achieve this, leaders need to stop thinking of themselves as chess grandmasters and start providing control and allowing autonomy.

“GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND FREEDOM CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO DRIVE PERFORMANCE.”

requires vigilance and the foresight to set up systems that mitigate risk and provide opportunities for course correction. Allow people closest to the detail to make decisions, as giving people a sense of ownership and freedom can drive performance. mutual trust and a shared belief in how to achieve success. If your team has these qualities, be modest in the assessment of your ability to influence every outcome, and then watch your team thrive. M 11 Letting go of control is not without risk and it requires a high level of

thinking and acting like humble gardeners. A gardener doesn’t actually grow anything; they foster an environment in which the plants can grow. They plant and harvest but, more than anything, they nurture. They water, feed, remove weeds, and spend long hours examining fragile stalks. In a team, each individual owns their performance, but the leader needs to foster an environment in which they can learn and improve. Sometimes this involves being hands on, but mostly it’s about being eyes on, hands off. This

Rhys is a Principal in the London offices of McChrystal Group: a global advisory services and leadership development firm composed of a diverse mix of professionals from the military, academic,business, and intelligence sectors.

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