1 extraordinary achievement + 7 leadership insights

Ten years ago, Bournemouth FC were bottom of the football league, facing likely liquidation and receiving visits from less-then-sympathetic bailiffs. Today, following a meteoric and staggering transformation in their fortunes, they are an established presence in the premier league. Key to their success is Eddie Howe, their long-serving and youthful manager, and in a recent interview with the BBC, he shared 7 leadership insights which have transformed the club and helped many of his players to consistently perform above expectations.  

1) "I am committed to the job and I will try and do anything I can do to affect results, however much work that takes."  

Great leaders must be 100% committed to their team, their organisation and making results happen. Great leaders do not lose sight of results or their passion for their job. If their passion declines, they either rediscover it or move on. 

2) "It's about being obsessed with the small things that make the big things happen." 

Each achievement however big or small, is secured from a combination of factors: great leaders break each factor into tiny pieces and microscopically observes them in order to create learning.

3) "It's about taking a performance, breaking down every single aspect of it and then working on making each aspect a little better." 

Every marginal gain represents a small step forward and lots of small steps make one big step. Great leaders focus on continual improvement and consistent marginal gains: they understand that long term progress takes time but they keep moving forward and don't lose momentum. 

4) "We demand a lot from our players so if a player doesn't have a desire to improve or a thirst for knowledge and doesn't want to grow, it will be difficult for him here."

Great leaders hire coachable people, those who are hungry to learn and who understand that you never fully become the finished article. Coachable people are prepared to listen to difficult truths and make the necessary sacrifices to continually improve. When team culture is permanently focussed on how to become better than you were the day before, there is no room for drifters, coasters or boasters. 

5) "Family: everyone knew everyone's personal lives and truly felt an attachment to each other." 

There is a common flaw that true professionals keep home and work life separate, but if a leader is serious about understanding his/her team and wants to create a culture where the team genuinely looks out for each other, then leaders will encourage their team to open-up about their challenges, weaknesses, strengths, motivations, BOTH AT WORK AND AT HOME. What makes a person tick? What truly brings them to life? The answers to these questions truly matter to the best leaders. 

6) "As a leader, you have to spend time with your players because that shows them that you care about them as individuals as well as footballers." 

Trust and rapport are different. You can like someone but not trust their judgement or word, just as you can trust someone's judgement or word, but not like them as a person. The best leaders develop trust AND rapport with their team and understand the value of time in developing trust and rapport. Time with their team is not an optional thing, which can be put on the back-burner: time with their team is an absolutely fundamental part of their role and great leaders will make time for their team. Leaders who make themselves remote or unavailable from their team will struggle to get the best out of them.  

7) "Rather than being better than Manchester United, Newcastle or Cardiff, we just make sure Bournemouth are the best we can be. That removes your glass ceiling. Your limitations are the ones you place upon yourself."

Great leaders have big and crazy dreams for their team because humans are capable of extraordinary things when they believe in themselves and each other, and when they pull in the same direction. Great leaders never stop believing in their teams and they communicate that unswerving belief through their actions and words. 

I help people become masterful leaders by developing their skills of time mastery, resilience and influence. I am a speaker, coach and workshop facilitator. Email me at: [email protected], to find out more about my coaching work and what I can offer to your next away-day/event.