Losing the dressing room, what it means?

A leadership lesson, learned hard.

A few weeks ago, Jose Mourinho, Manager of Chelsea Football Club, was sacked. The reason was, or at least given to believe, that he lost the dressing room. And as a former player and a fan of the game of football, I thought it was my duty and privilege to report how it correlates to the corporate world in general and their leaders in particular.

1. Leadership style: A lot is said and spoken about leadership style being the biggest factor contributing to the success (or failure) of a team, and it’s true. Jose comes across as a person with very strong self-belief, winning mentality and a believer in team work. All ingredients that makes up a true leader then?

Parallel: But every now and then, leaders get too consumed with the want to succeed that they forget factors like compassion, respect for the game and the team, and empathy. Sometimes, your team requires a friend more than a manager. Understanding what motivates every individual team member and giving priority to their personal goals is critical to succeed in people management. I believe somewhere between winning titles and buying star players, this understanding gets lost. In the corporate world, one needs to inculcate a more democratic and an inclusive leadership style. And rightly so, in most cases, people leave managers and not companies.

2. Team composition: Leading a team which has a good mix of fresh graduates and experienced players is ideal for any leader. Building small 2-4 people teams adds great value when their skills are complementary or allied. Jose led a team of experienced and tested individuals with high ego (and pay). He took them to heights the club never dreamt of reaching. His defensive style of play made most designate it as BOARING but it won the club titles-after-titles. They dominated the charts. But it’s said Mourinho needed followers and not leaders in his team. With a few players holding support from the local fan base and the management, setting the direction for the team can prove to be a tough challenge even for the seasoned managers.

Parallel: In a situation like this, it’s imperative to first become a ‘part of the team’ and then go for their buy-in. Coming up with a new ideology and trying to implement it without existing team’s approval can prove disastrous. Remember, a leader is only as good as his team is.

3. Senior Management Pressure: Let’s be true. Like a business, a club works on numbers. And the top-brass in any club wants to ensure sustenance and consistent growth of their club. Some of the measures that the club have with them to create revenue are; merchandising, signing up with a sports equipment company for the kit, and buying and selling of players (just to name a few). But all of the above depend on how successful the club is in winning titles, star players or not. And clubs won’t exist without football fanatics either. Fans love to see great football. A manager therefore needs to convert the pressure from the management into creative game-play. Now, that is a skill hard to find.

Parallel: While signing up to manage a team, setting the right expectations (both for the manager as well as the management) will set the right foundation for long term success in the future. The management has the responsibility of listening to the signals coming from their managers. They also need to have very strong people skills as not all managers perform to their best under stress. To display creative team play, freedom to experiment and to go against the obvious is required.

4. Situation considerations: Jose managed Chelsea previously too during 2004 – 07. He left the club as a winner and nothing short of a celebrity (people and media dubbing him as “The Special One” and “One of us”). So it was believed that bringing him back in 2013 was a blueprint to assured success. And it was, for a few seasons. Chelsea did a double with winning the Premier League (Barclays Premier League) and The Football League Cup (Capital One Cup) during 2014-15 season. They were expected to keep the momentum going into the next season too. But something strange started happening. The team stopped playing great football. Early losses to small clubs meant that they were pushed to the bottom of the league table. With pressure from fans, management and the press mounting, Jose started cracking-up. With the management wanting to win one way or another, due consideration was not paid to situations prevailing with the players. Jose’s confidence started wearing off. Exchanges with management and pushing of players around (and keeping some influential ones on the bench) did not go well with the club.

Parallel: Sometimes it’s best to let the situation play itself out. To calm water, one needs to stop creating ripples. During this period, a great understanding needs to prevail between the top management and the manager. Highs and lows are a part of the business and there is no need to panic if you have a vision and persist to improve with every turn.

The outcome of these variables was that Jose lost the dressing room. He had to leave a club that loved him. A club with an eccentric owner in Roman Abramovich and an equally aggressive manager in Jose Mourinho meant a fall-apart was ensuing.

Extending my discussion: a question many football lovers ask; what should Manchester United do to get back to glory days? I believe the management at United needs to go back to the drawing board. Few items to ponder upon;

1. Need for a good spotter. Bringing in talent from other leagues means spotting them early-on. A classic case to cite is of Christiano Ronaldo. He was spotted early on and brought in. Rest is history!
2. Keeping the team fit. If we count the number of players out of play due to injuries, you can create a new team (of injured players)! The medical staffs needs to put a strong foot in when it comes to selection of players. Any doubt, pull them out.
3. Focus on home-grown talent. The Manchester United academy is one of the strongest. Past is full of players who did well. It will not only cost less but will also help bolster long term success.
4. Replace ‘accountants with veto power’ with people who are about football. There is a need for people who understand passion, camaraderie and worry less about stock prices than making the club great.

Replacing managers is not the only solution, especially when the managers don’t even get time to implement their style.

Constant tinkering with the team selection, training schedules, travel plans, hiring, etc. beats the moral and constantly hinders top performance.

Do you think there is another angle to this? I welcome you to share your thoughts. Please write to me.

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Brief about me…

I am a marketer of software and services. With 12 years of experience in B2B Marketing, Sales and Customer Service, I offer a wider perspective on and a defined solution to some of the most challenging marketing problems.