From Ange to Airdrie: What Sales Leaders Can Learn About Survival and Success

Leadership is tough. Whether it’s on the touchline or in the office, the pressure to deliver results is relentless. Just ask Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham manager tasked with managing fan expectations, endless injuries, and the undeniable truth that Spurs are always one crisis away from a Netflix documentary.

Now, I’ll admit something up front: as an Airdrie fan, I have limited knowledge of football success. My team’s bottom of the league at Christmas, and our manager Rhys McCabe is basically Ange’s pint-sized doppelg?nger - although younger, fitter, and still gets around the pitch well when needed.

But humour me – there’s a lot sales teams can learn from football’s 'sack-or-support' dilemma.

When a manager (or sales leader) starts underperforming, the temptation is always the same: bin them and start over. But is that always the right call?

Big Ange in the Office

Picture your sales manager. At the start of the year, they’re full of big plans, bold strategies, and just enough charisma to make you think they might actually hit target. Fast-forward six months, and the numbers aren’t adding up. The team’s struggling, morale is sinking, and excuses are being handed out like promotional pens at a trade show.

Now swap the office for the dugout, and you’ve got Postecoglou. Ange came to Spurs with a bold attacking philosophy, but the injuries piled up, the squad ran thin, and the results started to wobble. Sound familiar?

In both sales and football, the first instinct is to sack the boss when things go sideways. But should we?

Why Sacking Feels Right (But Usually Isn’t)

Let’s face it – firing someone feels satisfying in the moment. It’s decisive! It’s dramatic! It lets you tell the world (or the boardroom) that you’re taking action.

But here’s the thing: constant turnover rarely fixes anything. A sales team with a failing product or some bad client press or reliability issues won’t suddenly thrive under a new leader. A football squad missing half its players isn’t going to win trophies because the manager’s changed.

Sometimes, the real problem isn’t who’s in charge – it’s the tools and support they’ve been given.

Why Leaders Need Time

Postecoglou’s philosophy is a reminder that leadership takes time. It’s not about one big result; it’s about building something sustainable. In the same way, your struggling sales manager might not deliver instant wins, but that doesn’t mean they’re not on the right track.

Before handing them their P45, ask yourself:

1. Are they underperforming, or are they under-resourced? Success isn’t easy if you’re relying on a skeleton crew or tools that haven’t been updated since 2010.
2. Are there signs of progress? Maybe the deals aren’t closing yet, but are processes improving? Is the team more engaged? Even in football, a team playing better – even without results – can be worth backing.
3. Have they had enough time? Let’s be real: how many Spurs managers have actually had the time to build a proper project? In sales, as in football, expecting miracles after six months is a recipe for failure. At least give a manager a year – or, in football, a full season – to show what they can do.

When to Call Time

Of course, patience isn’t infinite. If the strategy isn’t clear, morale’s tanking, and there’s no sign of improvement, then it’s time to act. But the key is knowing when the problem is truly leadership and not just the circumstances around them.

Ange wouldn’t last a Premier League season without delivering some kind of progress. And your sales manager can’t coast forever on PowerPoint pitches and optimistic excuses. Accountability matters – but so does time.

Final Whistle: Lessons from the Relegation Zone

Postecoglou reminds us that leadership isn’t about instant success – it’s about resilience, vision, and the ability to stay calm when everyone else is losing their heads. Oh, and doing the most amazing interviews on the telly!

But if you’re still tempted to sack your manager after a bad quarter, remember this: at least you're not like the currently 'non-shiny' Diamonds (aka Airdrie) - bottom of the league at Christmas; with tactics that are “play like Brazil” when really our capability is more 'bred in Bargeddie' and our manager Rhys McCabe has only survived this long because, well, who else would want the job? Reminds me of an old Billy Connolly joke which I will plagiarise - "I need to remind my friends that we are called Airdrieonians FC as opposed to Airdrieonians Nil, like a lot of people think we're called...."

So before you sack your sales leader, give them a chance. The ultimate question isn’t whether to sack or support but how to evaluate whether the leader’s potential aligns with your long-term goals. In business or football, patience paired with accountability often yields the best results.