LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY

LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY

The year was 2006. I was in my final semester in Universiti Sains Malaysia doing my Bachelors Degree. I was busy finalizing my final year project thesis. One day, my supervisor called in for a light discussion. Less than an hour later, I went back to my hostel with my head down. My self-confidence was shred into pieces. I was not too concern with my poorly drafted thesis but more about the things that she said earlier. I was branded with a ‘second child syndrome’. Yes, I am the second child from four siblings. The usual second child characteristics are introvert, easily demotivated, sensitive and low self-esteem to name a few. It might not look a big a deal but it indeed shook the life out of me after hearing that. Never in my whole life that I thought I had those characteristics. However, all boxes can be ticked from then onwards. The last few words from her will forever stuck in my head. She said, “If you keep on being like who you are today, you’re going to stay there forever. And you’ll regret it.”

Fast forward to the year 2009, I accepted my first real job. And it was a new challenge for a rookie like me. Joining the civil service was not in my plan at first but after persuasion from my family, it proved to be an eye opener for me. I never thought holding a Bachelors Degree in Aquatic Biology can propel me to where I am today. What made it even sweeter was that I passed all the examinations, assessment and interviews in one try. I am grateful to Allah the Almighty. Although I intended of going to either the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment or the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, I was posted at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry located in Putrajaya. My portfolio was in the Sustainable Development Unit. Being an officer without working experience was a tough challenge for me. My job scope was quite broad and cross-cutting with other Ministries and Agencies functions. Through the days, I enjoyed meeting people from all Ministries and Agencies. We exchanged ideas and opinions frequently. My involvement outside of my office was different in a way that I was more involved with outsiders rather than my own Ministry.

            During my time in the office and outside of it, I met many leaders, be it young and old. Ranging from my Minister, to the Secretary General to as low as the Principal Assistant Secretary. Young energetic leaders are normally involved in the private sector rather than the government. ‘Leaders are born, not made.’ Indeed it is true but some other leaders are meant to be leaders while the other are late bloomers and made themselves all the way up the ladder.

Leadership is not about speed, ideas, efficiency, or power. It is about knowig your own limitations and celebrating the gifts of others.

It is growing in wisdom, understanding the number of our days, and seeking to understand rather than be understood.

It is caring for people, always hoping for, and expecting the best.

It is being brave enough to be vulnerable in front of others.

It is seeing the big picture of where things are, and building a road to the future with limited casualties.

It is helping each person to sing their song from the heart, and leading the band in praise to their Maker.

            Leadership has been defined as the ‘process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task’. Leadership is first about influencing others. A person has influence when he is able to get another person to perform what he requires of him. A leader need to be authoritative and influent to be able to get people to act in line with the objectives. A good leader, leads by example. However, the world cannot avoid having the ‘not-so-good’ leader. One of the many sins that I witness from leaders in the world of today is integrity. Although I can see integrity campaign, banners and  advertisements all over the place, the spirit and embodiement of integrity within the leaders is lacking. One good example I can see is when a problem arises from the people under your supervision involved in criminal activities (corruption, money laundering and overused of power), the leader him or herself refuse to take the blame. All they need to do is step down with honour and integrity intact. Japanese government however, do practice this prinsip when it happened.

Enough about all the problems. Now back to my own business. As much as I am passionate about my job in the civil service as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer, my number one interest throughout my life will always be in football. Football nowadays is not just about sports, sweats or tears. Its about passion. Its about managing a club. Its about running a business. Its about establishing an organization. Its about building an empire. Its about conquering the worldwide market. No wonder it remains as the number one sport around the globe. With over 3.5 billion fans, football is undeniably the most watched sport in the world.  Football has the maximum stadiums, greatest numbers of people buying football merchandise, number of competitions and events held. Competitions such as the World Cup, European Championship, African Cup of Nations, UEFA Champions League and Barclays Premier League raked in billions of viewers worldwide. The FIFA World Cup 2010 final had about 715.1 million people who watched it. It is the world’s most widely viewed sports event up until today.

            One of the most successful football club in the world is Manchester United Football Club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to their current stadium, Old Trafford in 1910. Manchester United has won the most trophies in English football, including a record 19 league titles, a record 11 FA Cups, four League Cups and 19 FA Community Shields. The club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. The club made history during the 1998–99 season as they won the elusive ‘Treble’ of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, which was an unprecedented feat for an English club. Manchester United is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world. As of July 2011, the club ranked at number one in Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's 50 most valuable sports teams, valued at $1.86 billion.

Behind every great football club, there is a great manager. One day I came across an interesting book bought my brother. The title itself was interesting I must say. Football – Bloody Hell! The Biography of Alex Ferguson. Nobody can be categorized at the same level as Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alexander Chapman ‘Alex’ Ferguson, CBE was born in 31 December 1941. Hailed from Scotland, Sir Alex currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986. His tenure has seen the club go through successful era and dominance both in England and in Europe. With 25 years as manager of Manchester United, he is the longest serving manager in their history after overtaking Sir Matt Busby's record on 19 December 2010. His tenure is also the longest of all the current Barclays Premier League managers. Sir Alex is a multiple award winner and holds many records including winning Manager of the Year most times in British football history. In 2008, he became the third British manager to win the European Cup on more than one occasion. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to the game.

"Ferguson is not a genius," Barclay states as a conclusion of a book in which thoroughness of research, richness of detail and proper celebration of achievement are spread all over his book about his compatriot. The author reserves his use of that term for certain passages of the careers of other football managers such as Brian Clough and José Mourinho. Sir Alex's main quality, the one that distinguishes him from other top class managers is the unequivocal preservation of enthusiasm, determination, energy and control.

It is Sir Alex's darker side that forces many neutrals who acknowledged and recognized his achievements to hold their admiration. In one of the many striking phrases, Barclay remarks that ‘anger is his petrol’, and he explores many examples of Sir Alex's ability to pursue an argument with other managers, with referees, and with the media especially the BBC beyond the accepted boundaries. "The analogy I've always used is with people who become very different when they get behind the wheel of a car. When he gets close to a match, he becomes a different person. How much of that is studied, I'm not sure, said David Elleray, once the distinguished former referee and a frequent target of him.

Barclay does not let Ferguson off the hook lightly. He examines Sir Alex's habit, earlier in his reign at Manchester United, of steering young players towards the services offered by one of his three sons, a football agent. He also inclined to dismiss Ferguson's role in the saga of the club's ownership, which reached a climax with the recent news that a club with phenomenally high revenues had declared a loss of more than £80m for the past year. This was all thanks to repayments on debts incurred in a leveraged purchase of the club by the Glazer family from the United States.

Sir Alex’s major turning point of his illustrious career was way back in 1989-1990 season. After a string run of seven games without a win, Manchester United were drawn away to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. Forest were performing well that season and were on their way of winning the League Cup for the second successive season. It was expected that United would lose the match and Sir Alex would consequently be relinquished off his duty, but United won the game 1–0 and eventually reached the final of the FA Cup. This cup win is often cited as the match that saved Sir Alex's Old Trafford career, although it has was stated that his job was never at risk in the first place. I doubt it.

At the end of the day, Sir Alex's greatest regret may be that the two sides with which he won the European Cup, in 1999 and 2008. He did so with tactically incoherent performances notable only for the refusal of his players to be beaten. No 19-year-old Catalan or Muscovite could have gone home from those matches glowing with a new vision of what the game could have been. Sir Alex takes pride in maintaining United's tradition of attacking football, and he would have loved to win the most important of trophies in the manner of the Real Madrid legends such as Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás. Now that he approaches his 69th birthday, this might be the moment for which he is hanging on.

Sir Alex Ferguson Leadership Lesson

1.    The man is not bigger than the organization

Sir Alex Ferguson saw the importance of instilling humility in his players. He never allowed a single player to rise above the club. The player is never above the club, he would say. In today’s world, we exalt celebrity CEOs and we have come to a belief that changing and turning a company around takes just one man. However, the truth is that we need a team for organizational success. There is no superstar that will be bigger than the organization. If you can believe this, your organization will outlast the people in it.

2.    Succession is important

Sir Alex Ferguson saw the importance of constantly grooming players from their youth system to play in the first team. For long term success, he saw that he had have a youth team that would take over the club in the future. This approach was very different from a lot of the other top clubs in Europe; who bought top veteran players by paying over the top pay for them. When you are building an organization for the long term, you need to seriously consider good succession as well.

Famous Quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson

“Sometimes we can get too emotional as a club with things that are happening. But we're both of a common denominator - we don't want the club to be in anyone else's hands.”

“I have always tried to be the bridge between the club and the fans and I have tried to support the fans in a lot of their pleas and causes.”

“Only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat- and I expect us to do that”

“At the end of this game, the European Cup will be only six feet away from you and you’ll not even able to touch it if we lose. And for many of you that will be the closest you will ever get. Don’t you dare come back in here without giving your all”.

“I think it’s important to work and I’m entitled to work. Some people do not want to work but I want to continue working.”

In conclusion, Sir Alex Ferguson is without a shadow of a doubt, is in the league of his own. He was and still is leading by example. He could even be put in alongside the superheroes in the ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’. He is truly indeed the mastermind behind the meteoric rise of Manchester United Football Club which is now a household name throughout the world. The unrelentless spirit of motivation from the big boss was one of the key element that lead to their triumph and success along these years. He fits the bill of a true great leaders of his era and decade. He could stand on par with other great leaders, be it in politician or business world. From mediocrity to greatness, he will forever be remembered. His legendary status was even more proven with the recent instalment of his name as one of the stand in Old Trafford. I will put his mind into my everyday thinking just to be like him. A true inspiration. The colourful and mouthful character that he is, will be remembered as the ‘Leadership and Legacy’.