I've worked with professional football (soccer) managers and coaches for over fifteen years.
I've been fortunate enough to share leadership insights with the very best.
I've trained dozens of the smartest and best from the men's and women's game, and most have been positive, engaged and hungry for whatever tools they could learn in the sessions.
From legends like Hope Powell, Sam Allardyce, Les Ferdinand, Walter Smith and OIe Solskaer to trailblazers like Chris Powell and Michael Johnson to up-and-comers with huge potential like Chris Davies and Ben Dawson.
All have been a joy.
But there's always an exception or two.
And one cynic in particular came with a hefty dose of irony.
I was leading a masterclass on high-performance teams, and one big-name Premier League Manager was not having it at all.
We were exploring the value that having a shared vision brings to a team.
You see, I'm a big advocate for team visions.
I think they hold more weight even than a team purpose.
A good vision does more than inspire a team. It binds a team together, motivating them in pursuit of an aspirational goal.
But this household name played the role of a non-believer beautifully.
He argued his vague point so vociferously that I had to challenge him.
Me: During your most successful spell as a manager at Club X, did you have a collective aspiration? Something that everyone was working towards beyond the points total and league position?
Him: Yes, definitely.
Me: And what about at your last two clubs (where he was much less successful)?
Him: No, we didn't have time for that.
Me: So you've used visioning at the club you were most successful at, but not at the clubs you were least successful at, but you don't think that visioning is worth doing.
Conversation ends uncomfortably
I'm not saying that creating a vision with your marketing, HR, IT, finance, or sales team will make you a successful premier league football manager, but I do believe that visions are one component of creating a high-performance environment where your people align, thrive and achieve.
Creating a well-crafted vision can raise the bar and help your team achieve even more with fewer resources.
Richard
When you're ready, here are two more ways that we can work together.
Interested in working one-on-one with me to transform your confidence and gravitas, step up strategically and build a leadership mindset? Get an exclusive preview of my free Confident Leader mini-masterclass by emailing me with Confident Leader in the subject field.
If you are an HR Director or Chief People Officer or are responsible for leadership development in your organisation. I would love to share our process for creating the most engaging leadership development programmes on the planet (that pay for themselves in one hit). Email me with Transformational Leadership in the subject line.
Or, if you prefer to chat face-to-face, let's set up a 45-minute discovery call.