The Power of Culture Over Strategy: Lessons from Football for Business Leadership

In business, as in football, fostering a strong culture where everyone understands their role can drive performance to new heights. By paying more attention to the people aspect, we can create environments where strategy and process thrive under the influence of a motivated and cohesive team.

I don’t normally nail my football colours to the mast but observing events around me the small business world over the last few weeks has moved me to lay out thoughts around the similarities between how teams perform (or don’t) on the field and how much we can learn from football.

They say "culture eats strategy for breakfast." The older I get, the more I reflect on how people and their performance, motivations, and objectives contribute to the overall success of a business. We often emphasise subject matter and process but tend to overlook the importance of people.

To illustrate this, let's consider legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He achieved remarkable success with Aberdeen, winning in Europe – a feat still celebrated there today. He then went on to lead Manchester United to unparalleled heights, creating what many call the "golden generation." His influence was so profound that some of his former players have established their own successful ventures, such as University Academy 92 (https://ua92.ac.uk/).

In contrast, what was happening with Liverpool during Ferguson's reign? They were not thriving. When I was last lucky enough to visit Anfield in 2014, the corporate hospitality was the highlight of an otherwise dull 2-1 victory over Reading if my memory serves. One fan summed it up perfectly: "It's not the same Liverpool Football Club of old," which was plainly visible on the field but nonetheless the truest thing said by anyone that day as those who fondly remember Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and other greats will surely agree.

So, how did Ferguson achieve his success? Did he:

a) Create a winning mindset of professionalism that systematically addressed small failings, or

b) Allow the team to self-manage their way to victory?

Ferguson could by all accounts be criticised for his aggressive and sometimes bullying approach. However, elements of these tactics, when used judiciously, likely contributed to his success. It's hard to imagine that he left much to chance beyond the performance on the pitch. Yet, what truly mattered was that every player understood their role in achieving success.

A colleague recently introduced me to a model emphasising "increasing levels of candour, congruence, and trust." Implementing such a model through carefully worked out and sensitive organisational development initiatives could be highly beneficial for any organisation which has neglected its people development as one of the parts of its overall system.

Liverpool fans have reason to hope, as Jürgen Klopp's success could lead to an updated biography revealing whether his approach was more aligned with option a) or b) and I will read it with relish if and when it sees the light of day. Meanwhile, spare a thought for most lower league fans, where I fear, approach b) is much more common…