The Qualities That Make a Leader Great

Writing a book about leadership with someone else – particularly when that person is Sir Alex Ferguson, the longtime Manager of the Manchester United soccer club, and the most successful coach in the history of professional sports – is like writing an unsparing 360-degree self review. It underlines the remarkable achievements of the other person and, if you are inclined to introspection, highlights all of your own weaknesses and shortcomings. That certainly was the sensation I experienced as Sir Alex and I collaborated on LEADING, his reflections on the approaches and techniques he employed while collecting 38 trophies at Manchester United during four different decades.  (LEADING is published this week in the United States.)

During the past month, while promoting the book in the United Kingdom, I was continually asked why someone from the technology world – especially someone as inept with a soccer ball as me – would feel the itch to write a book with a man who, on the surface, occupies an entirely different realm. It’s a reasonable enough question and there are a variety of answers.  

Part of the impulse came from curiosity because soccer in Europe exists all alone in that phosphorus part of the atmosphere which, in the United States, sucks up a combination of Hollywood, religion, a fascination with the lives of the rich and famous and a variety of professional sports leagues. Part too came from the desire not to write any sort of history of Silicon Valley or, as some urged, Sequoia Capital, since nobody needs another book about a dog-eared chronology or an account of an investment firm which would, at best, have taken six months before hitting the remainder shelves.

One reason that prompted me to approach Sir Alex was because he, and his teams at Manchester United, exemplified all that I admired about leadership and the perpetual quest for perfection that we had tried to instill as we built our own organization over the last three decades. The other was a desire to jot down the observations and lessons of a winner’s lifetime with the hope that they would be useful to others who aspire to lead – particularly those under thirty, who brim with talent and ambition, but have yet to be hammered and buffeted by the challenges, setbacks and frustrations of life at the helm. People are just more rounded, ruminative and reflective at Sir Alex’s age of 73 than they are in their twenties. 

Even though he was not an owner of United in a financial sense, Sir Alex acted like an owner – as do the very best entrepreneurs whether they happen to be in California, China, India or elsewhere. His attitude and approach was a world removed from that of the handsomely paid retainers and unremarkable managers who sit atop so many organizations. He could simultaneously play cheerleader, motivational speaker, shrink, confessor, piano-tuner, puppet-master, choreographer, teacher, judge (and jury) and lord high executioner. All those skills were required for helping turn teenagers, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, into the players they later became.

The time I spent working with Sir Alex reminded me of the attributes needed to build, manage and perpetually tune any distinctive organization. Like Sir Alex, the great leader will embrace audacity and the unthinkable, will not shy away from making controversial and unpopular decisions, and will have (at least outwardly) an unshakeable confidence in his convictions. He will have a clear sense of his ultimate goal and will be able to communicate that in an articulate manner.   While his business may be complicated, he will be able to strip things down to their essence. The great leader will not compile endless lists of marching orders but, rather, will have a preference for keeping his followers’ eyes on no more than two or three objectives. He will have the patience required to assemble something superlative while simultaneously curbing his own impatience and keeping his own counsel.   

He will survey his colleagues with a clinical detachment, and, regardless of their past contribution, will not hesitate about bidding them farewell if they miss too many beats. He will prefer to nurture youth rather than pay a king’s ransom for mercenaries. The great leader is prepared to trust the judgment of others, is unafraid of delegating authoring, refrains from micro-management, and will not be impelled to dominate every conversation. The great leader knows that most success comes from making a few large decisions correctly rather than trying to be involved in making lots of small choices.

The great leader knows that most success comes from making a few large decisions correctly rather than trying to be involved in making lots of small choices.

He will understand that there are others in the organization capable of doing things that he himself cannot do or would not do as well.   He will derive more satisfaction from the achievements of his organization than from his own accomplishments, will not demand outlandish compensation for himself, will treat the organization’s money as if it were his own and will have no particular need to be singled out by the spotlight.   He will probably watch and listen more than he talks, will not radiate anxiety when the chips are down, will have a keen understanding of what he doesn’t know and a fetching sense of humility.   If he does his job well, people will see him as being tough but fair rather than capricious and mercurial.   He will definitely not feel the need to be universally loved but will understand that respect, rather than fear, is what can extract the best performance from others.   At the end of his tenure, knowing that his time has ended, he will relinquish authority with grace and will not sour the life of his successor. When asked to supply one word that explains his success as a leader, Sir Alex will volunteer ‘consistency’ – something easy to say and almost impossible to achieve over many years in the most demanding of situations. 

Finally, I learned one other lesson from this book writing exercise. If you ever have had cause to wonder what it feels like to be a sprig of parsley set alongside a perfectly cooked sixteen ounce steak, I can recommend collaborating on a book with a man whose face, name, performance record and reputation is justifiably known to hundreds of millions around the world.

LEADING, the new book on leadership by Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Michael Moritz, is available now in the UK and the US.