I thought what was interesting about him was the strength that he had as a leader

combined with what was obviously a very reflective self analysis

he could be the father confessor the motivational speaker the priest the
judge the jury the Lord High executioner the puppet master and the inspirational
figure all in the course of one day you
saw where particular\\\\\\\ individuals were starting to become far too important in
their own right and he showed and demonstrated that he could do without them his relentless
need for success and
have that desire to do better and to make sure that we don't stand still you
just trusted him does a big thing because he'd want so much you just think I'm gonna go over
what does it take to
be a great leader that's what people flock here to the London Business School from all over the
world to find out and
a lucky few today are gonna hear from one of the Great's now he's not a billionaire from Silicon
Valley he's not
a general he's led his troops into battle he certainly not a politician he is though a man who for
more than a
quarter of a century masterminded one of this country's greatest brands I have
studied and analyzed leaders all my life but I never saw one quite as successful
as Sir Alex Ferguson
it's my very great pleasure to welcome to Alex Ferguson what is the secret of
his success professor Anita Alberti of the Harvard Business School has studied
it together they take classes addressing the next generation of business leaders
today in London these students are getting a crash course in leadership the
Ferguson way so what we're gonna be doing is a case study like we do those at Harvard and this
is a good test to
see whether you guys are as smart many regard him as the best coach in all of
sports why is he such a great coach I
would say I would say he's won
everything there is to win many times Helena he's got a really strong vision he wants
to win and he's ruthlessly executing against that every single time
winning was what Sir Alex did again and again and again when he retired he'd won
an amazing 49 trophies in his career
just needed a medical of course we go
no one's likely to ever match his record of winning 13 Premier League titles and
two Champions League trophies I think now that's one of the best coaches ever
not just because it was my leader so in history I'm a question probably
the best one what does this all have to do with business why is this worthy of
study at a business school one person who knows the answer to that question is
former Manchester United chief executive David Gill he understood that in order
to have a successful football team and get what he wanted on the pitch the business of
Manchester United had to be
very successful his leadership skills meant that he could understand what we were trying to do
as a club I think the
fact that the club was champions for so many years and it's got such a reputation across the
world that you
have to put that down to his great management and that had the knock-on effect of creating
great financial
revenues for the organisations it's about time I turn it over to the man himself please again join
me in
welcoming Sir Alfred
tomorrow a dope part of a horse running called hair dryer sir Alex's record
attracted the attention of one of the world's most successful investors writer and billionaire
Michael Moritz who made
his money backing Apple and PayPal and Google Moritz has been a student of
leadership for decades I started looking around for the people in organizations
who had been able to steer an organization to perform at a very high
level of excellence consistently for a very long time and that's what piqued my
curiosity about Sir Alex and Manchester United so alex is the first person to
say that his world is football but the elements and rudiments of leadership are
universal skills that are as applicable to a multinational corporation a Boy
Scout Troop a church organization as they are to a football club a club made
in His image shaped by his values forged by his character Sir Alex Ferguson has a
legendary status at Old Trafford as a lifelong United fan myself hadn't
claimed to be impartial welcome but I've
always wanted to understand the ingredients of the Fergie formula for success as I was
watching you in London
Business School I was sitting next to a Chinese a Russian a Uruguayan an Italian
did you ever think you would find yourself lecturing on leadership to the
young entrepreneurs from around the world the thing about the challenges it's young people and
I've always always
enjoyed my interaction or young people I've always enjoyed the my time as a
manager producing young players because but young people you know some reason though
they surprise you really give
them an opportunity now back at the business school you had on the whiteboard all those
people that can
crowd in on a football manager who think they've got a right to have a say and you wiped a
whole series of them
yeah this is a good ear but was that duster colored all these they don't mean
nothing they don't mean anything what was the
essence left behind well there's a core look at the core because you can get trapped in in
periphery of things that
happening your players and your staff they're important issues of the whole thing and of course
you hope that then
that transfers your results into keeping fans happy because as my job
fans just want their team to win but Ferguson insists that his job involves a
lot more than that most managers go to a football club because it's a result
industry now they are to turn the fortunes of the first team that's why they get a job I never
thought that we
add my philosophy was to rebuild a football club Sir Alex made men united
as a club to think in a certain way I think he modelled the club around his
view around this personality I think many night it will be always influenced
by what he did as a as a manager in the
club the club is was made at his image I think the strength of united was this
great family spirit we always created and people who thrive and be recognized
you didn't mean the star players there no problem I mean players are you with
him all the time that's the difference as a manager of my sisters you can easily walk by
someone a girl can do at
the office and know they can eyes them no one do that I would see at all good
morning wherever and I think it's that recognition it gives you that strength of a family there's a
dinner lady called
Carol she hammers ooh what you got on today what is that I need laughs when he'd go back
home and
used to talk about her hair or think or whatever and just ask the way he's people don't see that
side of him a lot
but he was really really good night out he had this unbelievable ability of
remembering everyone's name obviously knows careful reception and the laundry girls and the
chefs and the cleaners
you've got 65 7 8 players you've got to remember all the names plus the school
boys that's another 30 or 40 he knew all the names because he took an interest in what they
were doing and how they were
progressing he was the top man and if he's doing it then everyone else should be doing it as well
everyone loved him
there in the club you invite everyone to come for a lunch
for cup of tea English cup of tea so it
was a family it was a family with him and leaders often forget that write it that it's just as much
about the the
ladies doing the laundry I'm making sure that they're happy as it is about making sure that
Cristiano Ronaldo is having a
great day the family Ferguson created it United was inculcated with the values
he'd learned from his family growing up in Glasgow in the 40s and 50s in the shadow of the
governship yards I want to
get a look at an image the place you grew up govern govern that's Chevy ours
of course to cleanse serum I love the one mile and a half from there and something is used to
go and win my dad's
come to the gates and render a favor clock you know even although that temperatures and the
wind they come down
at clayed he never stopped them from what can never stopped him from building ships so
toughness against the odds
upside its em they were never bowed his people that was Pro to be brought in
that kind of environment let's take a look at your parents yeah yeah we always the Ferguson's
yeah and you see that
that their ties they were footballers on them they were even at that age
yeah yeah oh yeah my dad was a football way but that prefect went to land in Northern Ireland
he what's in how under
Wilson northern I want for a spell and he didn't want to get on the wrong side of it oh no way no
he was it wasn't the table would
punish you but his voice was enough it was a quite man but when it even he wasn't happy we
hear is the voice that
was enough she didn't want to be on the wrong side of him he was a stickler for keeping time
yeah it sound a bit
familiar did with me all the way I love to be had way you know what more was
there way there's been clashes with her with the moments where you thought about a teenager
oh yeah we never school of it somebody month for a while because he he
wanted me to go to junior football it's a pity he didn't speak for seven or eight months yes he
wanted me to go to
junior floor to protect me after then makers see a football did you learn that sometimes keeping
quiet can be just as
worrying for someone perhaps or just as good as for a leader to do yeah I'm sorry
quite moment so remember we're doing three know what halftime at Tottenham Hotspurs I
never says what the ready
grass is the night schools are winner wet suits will first go and see what it
takes us how much school within an hour
he's got with a minute he went on to score five five three yeah you once said something that I
think a lot of people
would find surprising that when you look at a footballer one of the first things you wanted to do
is look at their mum
and dad yeah I'm sorry therefore attain find out weekend appearance of go and put it with the
mother who used to say see all this goats get the mother get them all on
your say because she makes all the decisions the father all other teams can be entranced by his
son's progress and
you're sort of 11 that bits a little bit you know you know and they're woven the gaudiya the kids
the mother wants to do
the best for a son there's no question with that so and Dems are dealing with PM's the mother is
the most important
person he's great with people's moms he's good my mom was there and my wife was there the
governor at the time she
was and he just made him feel comfortable and I remember him coming out of the room when
we finished and
went to the hotel after I know a sin he was such a nice guy it was Ferguson's
reputation as a disciplinarian that appealed to Manchester United that and his record at
Aberdeen his team beat the
mighty rail Madrid to lift the European Cup Winners Cup he arrived at Old
Trafford in 1986 and before he could revive a once-great club he had first to
tackle a pernicious drinking culture was Bert impulsive I think I called every
went into the gymnasium all the young young players all the staff all the players so I said then
work I've read
all these stories I've heard all these tours over the drinking culture well I have to tell you I
wouldn't change
you're all going to have to change that's a fight now bigger problem was it well I think there was
a genuinely bad
element of drinking and afternoons going away for you know from training going to
spend all afternoon drinking people tell stories people phoned about manager of Manchester
last
all other pill to our senior pair and a puppy and it happens happens that's a
great networking system you have minimizer Manchester dated to knows what network its spies
isn't it yeah you knew
that you know and then realized himself we're not going to win the week with this team so we
did a fire sale cover
there were nine players and brought five young players and people were hungry enough to
accept challenge and send it
at the Corbin of different direction the new leader of another failing organization face similar
problems just
a few years later Tony Blair's Labour Party had lost four elections in a row known as since you
both did the same
thing you took over losing teams and you had to try and change the culture of those teams is
that vital for someone
who's a leader to be prepared to challenge the existing culture not live with it as it is yeah or
always think
that the greatest problem when you're leading an organization that it that is failing is that you
you take the system
as it is and you just try to make it work when it maybe the system itself that is at fault so in other
words you
know it may be that you you can't get a political party back to power just by
amending the same message you may have to change it completely you know you may have to
redraw the whole boundaries of
your organization you may have as we had to do with the Labour Party fundamentally shifted
asked and demands
discipline and respect once it's a balanced approach it's not just showing everyone that he is the
guy who has the
power step one in the fergie leadership manual assert control and imposed
discipline the hundred eighty degree opposite to discipline is anneka well Anna he went as she
was saying because
people just shove off in different directions and so the
sprin is essential for any team to achieve the common objective and I think
that's true of soccer as it's true of the army so Alex knew that if you didn't have discipline within
the organization
anarchy would break out and it would become unwieldy and impossible to manage or to lead I
would get in between going
there at 7:00 over there to God knows what time I was Steve to watch Academy
whatever and I was fortunate you're right very very Hurley all the time he was there in his office
to check
to to make the training and it all always the first one and always the the
last one to go at home so I learned this kind of stuff with him and that's something that wasn't
lost on
the players who said if he's in early why you know he's been doing 25 years
why are you not even before him or at least near the same time with him and put in there
working turning up on time
and training hard were only the beginning of what the boss demanded from his team I wanted
him to be by just
innate in terms of dress made sure they wore the blaze and finals whatever they went in terms
of away from home
potato wall and why does it matter though for a leader thing about okay well I think you'll
represent the club
that way you walk through an airport you see the boys I've seen that badge there's Manchester
native the dress
right you know it's the first time I witnessed that was going to Switzerland in a tournament for
the youth team and
we're all in our Blazers and we all got told in no uncertain terms that you representing Munch's
United both on and
off the pitch I want you to make sure that you behave yourself around the hotel because people
will be watching you your lesson if you were back in that
classroom is those little things I'm sorry details yeah all points to the top
of the mountain you know points to the top of the mountain everything can contribute yeah I'm
sorry just like
talking to the Lord drew girls although yeah canteen staff yeah everything makes a difference no
matter they all matter
probably innate it seriously matter I want to show you a photograph which might give you a
thought about some of
these issues as well let's have a quick look see if you remember this photo there's my her why
did they do that
when was that as an intersex Cup final when where I said to Brian kid one no
those aren't your players girls there's a livable yes whoo whoo yeah you turn to Brian KD
resistant why no one knew well
just because of this yeah because do that I think that's I
don't know what would you call it had against our overconfidence oh I
don't know it was a dateless husband I think it was absolutely dateless please shut brinway tight
and always and I
believe for who designed that and you see it was if C was Armani yeah I'll meet your salesman
down don't
still work out what it was was he kids to not taking the game seriously well I mean Jimmy laid
out like sunglasses on
and but you know then what there was telling part of it is this Roy Evans and
Ryan Moran had black suits on I think they were embarrassed pull pull football clubs a great
hobby
history they've won the European Cup more times and mines fascinated the between - in 1804
the one more trophies
and any carbon brain that didn't represent was at all
Liverpool episode at Wembley where they were wearing the white suits he would he would use
stuff like that like have you
seen these luck I've seen what they're wearing they think they've won it already stuff like that
we'd get into
your heads which mean I think they want it already Sir Alex had other ways of getting into his
players heads including
what became known as the hair dryer a term first coined by United striker Mark
Hughes the hair dryer was the treatment
that underperforming players received from Sir Alex basically he's standing in close proximity
and shouting so hard the
shout at you and physically blow you out of the room can I show you a little
video do you know what's coming No
we're not lip-reading I wasn't wailed out there if you would
like that's up the touchline now I wonder what you're like in the changing room always point
again off my chairs
permit system and kick on from there like I said to them remained in the dress room that could
be really angry
and can be volatile it could be but it was over they push do that you that and
never and never brought up again anybody held a grudge ever noise and when you heard it was
called the hairdryer didn't
wake at the time yeah honestly I was a bit annoyed you know but no you have to
you have to he can smell listen there comedy part you know we've had been
feature awake upbeat we didn't play well and he was he was shouting at me and I
thought was one of our best thousand a day and I think you know what we shine so I started
going back at him showing
back and the problem is which I found to learn quickly is that the more you shot at him the
ladder he gets and the more
aggressive he gets and the closer he gets to he had that skill of do you have
you gotta put your arm around someone or have you got a loogey temper to get the best out of
them I remember a moment ago
at me at halftime and I had the sort of attitude right okay I'll show him and played well the
second half so then he
quickly knew how I would respond to him losing his temper that followed me for
the next twenty years so it's a big mistake early on Giggsy sometimes would have to be one
thing wrong and a half
half times a hammered Giglio and hammer Giggsy but that was to show the other
players no one's exempt from getting hammered and you it all fix up because I've come in for
you a full time if you
don't sort is hurt I remember sometimes when we do it something bad or we lost
some games it kicked the shares and keep the boots you keep a briefing the the
waters the drinks and he's so reds and she passed about it it's unbelievable
but it it was good because we learned the great thing about the boss was the
the next state was forgotten and you'd be walking towards him approaching him the next day
thinking is he gonna have a
go at me and he would just crack a joke I would talk about the next game and how often was it
you just genuinely furious
you've got to tell people an elephant was there a bit of calculation something some things that
would lose my temper we
win no the real reason for with your tempers is because of expectation I
could never in visualize this wasn't a game you know when out but time I pick my team done
detectives had my team talk I was confident always win a game but of
course you don't win every game as a fact but when they drop below that expectation that
annoyed me most you
know no player was too big to be spared the hairdryer Ince than missile Roy
Beckham following that famous bust up with a flying boot no player except
perhaps Eric Cantona United's iconic French superstar who got very different
treatments even after a spectacular lapse in discipline I want to take you
back to a moment I suspect is hard for you let alone anybody else to forget let's just take a look
did you see that
I didn't see at all I was looking at the pitch but Jesus you see was done so prom
for the club because it gets such headwinds it's front page and but they say they were meeting
at the older age
and they the next night all the way I got a phone call from pleasure Guinea
buddy it was the chairman I'm mad son Spencer said time Richard and a big in artifact peg your
native fun he says
well don't wait Canton ago he'll give him great moments of joy I said I know
that but you know what there was a middle of the board tried to fight the case we must keep him
we can well we can't give him to to the mob and we decided to find it is
suspended for four months and if he were at the time what happier
but summer the auditor ahead of Canton are then seven months of training dull
laborious unfulfilling expediency may yet mean that with regret cabin player
part company but as the great disciplinarian wasn't your first in teams to think he's he's a great
player
I get on with him but that's too much well you're never in never given us any
indication that explosion was there but I decided to approach to this way I
would speak to him every day and I would talked about football all the time and
you loved it you know and that's why all the players say it was more political son but I think he
needed different
attention he needs in different ways that dealing with him he was a different
guy from everyone else he's an amazing human being but when you saw that image of him
kicking a spectator wasn't that a
bit of you thought that's exactly the old discipline master stop at this club I've got to get rid no it
was something
in me said I need you something about he stand by him because the world was after him and it
was a better wake him no one
was there to help him and I said well half through me cuz I'm his manager I
think the thing that amazed me and used to frustrate me at times was his my management I'd
never seen him ever got
Eric Cantona for example some of the players would resent that why is he not gonna go a
Kansan ah he's mr. Pennell er
why is he not I'm gonna go cancel I had an awful game the minds you knew in the long run that
he would come good that he would produce the goods at the right
time yeah his mum management was was second to none should have always the honesty that
allows him to be father
friend brother of a player enemy of a player but enemy for a few a few seconds
but then the brother comes again or the old brother or the father these human qualities are
absolutely crucial to be a
great leader fabulous leader is a very rare individual and that person is capable of
making an organization do things making the people in persuading cajoling
nudging caressing sometimes the people inside an organization to do something
that they weren't didn't think that they were capable of what we have here essentially is a case
that is about how
one person is very effective at managing teams that's not enough though for a leader they also
need to know how to
cull their teams how to be ruthless when
they had big players and they other youth team coming through the confidence to affect the
change cell the big players and go with the youth players a
good leader has to make tough decisions that's why he or he or she is a leader and sometimes
there are things which are
not very nice you have to lay off a whole group of people for example two
three hundred people close down the factory in some cases you may have to
release a very highly paid individual but you have to do it it's part and
parcel of being a leader as you go through your career you've got to rebuild the team you have to
be ruthless
there's a hot part for you because they do become the family you know and the
Green scored an 84 of the containers and fences and Robson and these players but
as they go older and the horrible thing is the evidence is on the football field
and you can't avoid that some of these issues were played out in the press but he wasn't afraid
to make the decision
which he thought was for the long-term or medium-term benefit of the team and I think that
ability to be ruthless it's
no bad thing but at the same time I think he did have compassion I don't think he necessary
foundation is easy
and it wasn't just players past their peak who was shown the red card by
Ferguson scenario we've working there was a video that he done for MU TV that I cut didn't
want to go out a manager full day it wasn't right it was disrespectful etc to the team the next day
told the players that
that's working when ever come back to May night again it's captain am a night
best probably main that I love through a long period of time and that was for the next generation
don't think you're ever
bigger than this club because you're not because you will go I've just told the captain he's never
coming back again
what are you gonna do now how do you
handle a particularly difficult member of the team that was a question which haunted a new
prime minister who turned
to Sir Alex for advice we would talk about man management and I would say looks
such-and-such an
individual's is you know he might might be really brilliant but he's really really tough I don't like
quite what to
do about it and because Alex cuz this is how you would run his soccer team said get rid of him
and I'd say well it's all
very well Alex but how would you be if you got rid of a player but still found them in the dressing
room every day
and that would be a problem piece that would be a problem I said then we have to keep your
control I didn't know he
was talking about the time and we have to keep control you can't resume you're the prime
minister you have to have control even a
guest he was talking about golden brown I don't know why it's ray and I don't think anyone you
two waiter on that
there was some solve uh there was some feeling between the two he said to you what do you do
with a player who won't
accept the discipline you should get him out if their effect and the control of you or the disrupt in
the dress room you
have to make a decision is a water we weren't actually talking about an individual but a
hypothetical case as it
were but yeah his attitude was it does matter if he's the best player if he's difficult but about the
room but even
ceramics sometimes lived to regret his decisions about players I always thought
I was believing off to meet decisions maybe something's wrong I've been a wrong decision really
up Stan
and that was a mistake one decision we've talked about quite a bit is the decision to let yup
stung go to an
Italian club and I think it was based on his belief that maybe opsin would not
come back from his injury it's a decision he regrets because yob ston went on to play for six
seasons at a
very very high level but two European Cup finals it's a good decision but
changing the team only works of course if the people who replace those who are let go the next
generation proved to be
better you're returning youth players what is characteristic of the Fergusson brand when it
comes to youth yes I think
it's kind of giving them a lot of lot of chance to kind of shine and great as a team right no
structure is going to
remain standing unless it's built on a firm foundation so for United this meant above all
developing a pipeline of young players
who when they were signed weren't very well known or when they were purchased
were in many instances affordable and cheap purchases building a team around a
new generation of talented kids may look a safe bet now at the time it was a
risky gamble so let's take a look at what became known as the class of 92
look just call Z things you say oh sorry well it weren't what ages were they
there there in verse 17 the gigs will be miss 18 and some people look at that
group say it was a one-off you're a very lucky man there's no no and reasonably say that
but I have to see this we were scouting and trial and coaching the best in the
country I'm sure that we were obviously characters and we were the mindset that
once we get in this team with what we're not not going out of it we were lucky in the fact that we
had a manager who was
willing to give us a chance and was willing to gamble really on on youth and
remember this some thought it wouldn't pay off the trick is always
by when you're strong so nice to buy players you can't win anything with kids Alan answered if
girls told you even nothing
with kids well you can't win even without them the secret was the
development of the character they feared nothing so come at the first hearing me it was a
cakewalk for them they just quite still threw up so no problem these young lads
were old heads and young shoulders we worked hard to get there we worked hard but yeah we
do make a
great material the first time I played I was come on as a substitute and yeah I
can remember the managers last words just go out and enjoy yourself and you think him I'd you
mean enjoy myself I'm
going out to play foot you know I'm going out to play in front of 4,000 and I'm 17 and I'll try and
enjoy it but I don't
think I will but no he always said that and I can say instantly just you just
felt relaxed that's part of my management and not putting too much pressure on on me but also
knowing what
I was capable of and did you think of yourself look almost as a father figure to them that you
were teaching them how
to grow up how to behave in the way your father taught you I think that the
character building does apply itself that way and as some instances what
players would come to me with personal problems no one it would never go the
door no one they could trust me to help them and I was proud that players would trust me that
way was when my daddy was
sick in London and it was in hospital very bad Mike's dish comic Ricky in coma
in a coma and I had a conversation with with him when I say boss I wanna I don't
feel good and we had we are in a key moment in a
league in a Champions League Purcell don't feel good I wanna I wanna see my dad Casino you
wanna go one day two days
one week you couldn't go on when I miss you I miss you here because you know that you are
important but you're your
daddy is in the first place when it told me that I feel like this guy is unbelievable it was the father
of
football for me he knew what he had
under his bonnet with Christian eyes or he knew had the potential to be a world star best player
in the planet and he
knew that there was certain aspects of his life that he needs to take care of and help him live
and think lucida and
the way we're in a Christian and I speaks about the manager now even when all these years have
gone by he refers
to as that as his father in football which is testimony to the way the major
Delavan oh yes you have all the power yeah a bad face I don't think I was very
important are we doing I think they think I was always afterwards to meet you I kept McCann my
control Ferguson
imposed that control not just on the pitch but I'll fit to like twisted my
ankle win my first ever game so I was out for about six weeks so I've got to learn the city a little
bit better than
I probably should off and I'm just as I've got back to fitness I went out on a training pitch and I
saw the manager was
just waiting out for the place to come out and he just said well let me talk to you something so
far boss he said are you enjoying the series it is all right
we've been out anywhere or anything I said yeah not being out to be on the students I've just
been to a couple of restaurants and just taking it easy just
chilling out really he said how good he said oh just make sure we go from the right foot I know
you've been
overindulging it and that Cod's going out here and there people tell me these things you can't
hide none of this for me just to make sure now you know that I
know it doesn't happen anymore if you want to stay at this club for a long time go and coach
trainer
oh my god only thing I were worried a bit was a control of Manchester knighted
they control the players the dress room that is Parliament to me and I worried
I've ever lost that control it controlled everything I think the transfer policy the decisions the
players contracts the stuff I think everything was in his hands and I think
it's a fantastic way to do it especially if you are surrounded bye-bye good people because when
you say
you are in control doesn't mean that you don't share I think his belief is that in order to
lead a football team effectively you have to be the biggest personality you can't have players
that are the bigger
stars that are the bigger egos in the dressing room this is probably also the most controversial
lesson and I am
honestly not entirely sure whether we can translate this to many other business settings and I
think the
business world nowadays if you as a manager come in and say or as a CEO and say I demand
absolute control and anyone
who steps out of my control they're fired that's a pretty harsh stance and it might not work very
well in the
business climate that we have nowadays I never thought of and these guys are in stop where's
never bothered me and the
one thing I did say to the south where remember one thing your reputation is
always in a way in the Saturday so the expectations bigger for you you have to show you what
as hard as all that is
there players because that advil really is a truly great motivation teaching the
value of teamwork they were also crucial to focus on success even if his methods
could be a little unusual there was one photograph he had on your office wall let's just take a
look at
why you had it oh yeah every year but it
didn't bring the apprentices into my office one deer says right tell me what do you what do you
think of that fog
enough and they work at it and of course they're all twitchy in the evidence of
cetera and I said well there's 11 there as the well members a team as his there
bill Rockefeller Center back in the twenties and the worst lives and then
one or two would try to save them it was the right through that I says there's no bigger sacrifice
and then give me a life
for the team I remember he did this picture of 11 guys sitting in a beam but
we not without how you say no reps for safety
exactly and quite surprised my when I looked the friend said wow it's unbelievable forever and
sacred
this is what Tim should do it who should be together we should work together we should do it
everything together if you
wanna win something and he gives the example all the time because it was 11
guys in that picture so it was fantastic memory I remember
right now in my eyes I remember is office and this frame
now there's another image you used to use quite a better thing oh yeah yes
yeah that's a fantastic story it's how
they fly 4,000 miles from Canada to some warm climate to go into v's and the ones
that the front do most of the fine and they change over and if one goes away and well true you
have to look after
like big birds overhead flying and it would be in the middle of training he stopped the training you
go right oh
look look up to the sky so we are looking inside see them birds and they were all in like an arrow
formation
that's teamwork you can just imagine 22 players or 20 odd players just looking up at the sky
thinking what's he going on about and I said to them these geese fight 4000 males think about a
sudden all of
our thing you do is play 38 games to win the week have no thing amassing too much
other teams in other sports wanted one of Fergie's inspirational talks so when
Europe was fighting to retain the Ryder Cup the captain called in sir Alex was
never one of the superstars so so dealing with the likes of Rory McIlroy and how he was going to
feel in that
situation was something that was alien to Mina and he was the one that I thought could really
help me with that
so and I looked around I thought you know there's a guy that that really got it right in terms of
success poets
brought him a year before the tournament a suffered way to contribute with the team so I did a
motivational talk with
them he spoke to the caddies before he came up to the players which was great and that was a
lot of fun for the
caddies and it made them very much included because the caddies were a huge part of what we
did the caddies can ask
me I was fantastic and the Viscardi called Billy for think we the native fun and he gave
mystic oh if the voice says he can't cancel her for nothing as we will listen
to the rules briefing I could hear the laughter coming from the Caddy room and the players didn't
know but I could hear that the laughter so I knew things were
going well down there so when he came in first of all he knew everybody's name and addressed
everybody personally Sir
Alex told the Ryder Cup team the story that had worked so well at old trafford dead over by the
geese and I think there
was an important one the Ryder Cup team although the favors I wasn't going to win them in the
tournament who was a
work ethic the concentration the Rattler town there's a trail bears golfers in Europe but that
question and they just
need to focus and the things are going to matter any game and that became a kind of a
something that that we as a
team mentioned number of times during the week and it was it was a phrase that
we use remember the keys and your only thing about it is when we won and we're getting a
photograph taken this perfect
V of geese flew right over their heads and over the clubhouse right behind I never changed as a
human being as what
my stable management my decision-making discipline never changed that but I was
always willing to change to me is better leadership is actually a balance of listening learning and
leading you know
you have to to listen and absorb what are the lessons going on out there you have to be
prepared that to learn those
lessons and look at what the trends are and the changes are they're happening in your country in
your society in your
profession and then you have to be prepared in the end to take control in to lead Tony Blair says
that leadership
is a balance of listening learning and leading is that a good summary yeah I
think these are accurate statements and heard over that and you win it's two
different places to learn you went to the SAS on one occasion years ago through the team down
there for the day
and they still would overnight it was fantastic because you're speaking to a
body of men who the concentration levels has to be 100 all the time so what I was impressed
with what I saw down here did the players identify with them or do they just love it what is it a
different
world they loved it I always remember the trick is enter them hostage room and
they put four players with the heads down on the table and all the less the players were behind a
rope you know they
just pulled me out me Pauline's was cardboard cutouts and where the hostages
a cardboard cutouts are the people than the old Ernest hot hostage so we were
just sat there at the table the next minute lights just went off weird get down get down which
instantly
did and all of a sudden a small bomb comes in I think that was dark and
within seconds bang bang bang bang a couple of bullet sounds and then the
lights come on and right next to us was four or five soldiers SAS get night
goggles as a sort when the soldiers were gun against poants his head they were
died it was blowing yeah it's a great experience great experience and one we
never forgot what I hope Sir Alec and his team would have seen and appreciated
was very high degree of professional skill and ability an utter dependence
one upon another in other words the team actually brought a very high pinnacle of
mutual dependence and respect the
ferguson formula produced year after year of success but one victory one
match one extraordinary moments seemed to capture its essence let's take a look
at one night when name Barcelona in 1999
crosses from the left right footed so
United will one mil down going into injury time that gesture was that
disbelief I think it was about that bit um but when when they went to one each
ste McLaren came to missus will go back to for for to an extra time and says no other games
over the level of cover and
we scored a single they were gone fine wraps are gone those three minutes
in a sense I like the whole Ferguson formula boiled down are they well that
particular team was a team Inuvik never given and through that season that
continually went games in the last few minutes so when the league once is very
difficult but to do it over 26 years I think is simply amazing I was able to
plan three or four years ahead because I was here long enough even having won the
coveted treble Ferguson set about dismantling his team and creating another I think his greatest
legacy is
that he had success over a quarter of a century and that he was able to build
and rebuild four or five truly great teams for me that is something that no
manager has matched the rebuilding of the organization was consistent and
often people when they built a structure or got an entity into a winning position
they forget what took them there and they stopped doing the renovation they stopped doing the
repairs say Alex
didn't stop and he rebuilt the club on perpetual for year cycles you smile
inside because it's a he's still hungry you still want to win still motivated to
win trophies to go to the trainings with 62 years old 63 64 65 you see still like
we still won one more title they still want that team play good every weekend so this is for me it
was a surprise but
the lesson leader is that the very moment you reached the top is what you know top you
don't claim in the mountain you got the interview as beautiful normal circumstance you have to
come down the
mountain on people for my interest in a do you have to stay up there and a wicked of you you
can't come down and of
course you don't win every week but important thing is to be challenging every time that was a
big finger many
night he was never about oh we've won this celebrate for days on end months on end and really
enjoy it you never got a
sense that we really enjoy it as much as maybe should have now if retired I think if I didn't enjoy
it too much because I
did quite like enjoying things maybe I wouldn't have been able to climb the mountain again so
soon and so
consistently you have some managers that that you work hard for because you fear
them and you have other managers that you work hard for because you love them
we're on this line is Sir Alex
some people are pointing we're on this line is he yes over there
I think he's more towards oh okay
so for you is it more fear or was it love or maybe both both both in the
beginning is kind of not scare but it's
respectful you respect because you say you can smile but it can be angry too so
let's do the right things early on in my career definitely fear as a 17 year old
seeing this figure he was so intent on discipline and and quality but also fear
from me fear of failure but then as the career and the relationship grew well
towards yeah the love aspects that could be occasions with fear commentable occasional
maybe a better love but the
case of fear if you work you'll be mine she's need to play it players played in the tunes play
there's no way that fear
was in that team in terms of my timing Nate had often wondered whether was
hates fear love I don't pay great attention to it I stole was always
concerned about the balance of it and I have to say this to stray their respect
I think that love or fear is an inappropriate statement quite frankly
it's respect I think that people should respect you and if they don't respect
you then you've lost it you've basically lost it it's as simple as that Ferguson
was to win the respect of his rivals as well as his own team I played against Man United with
Porto and the respect
started when in that man United poor - the first time the opposite manager
knocking my door to congratulate my players Sir Alex walks in yeah and that
in our Portuguese culture was doesn't belong to our cousin and from that
moment I hope in respect and I always gave him my respect and my admiration
Sir Alex retired in 2013 to be with his wife Kathy following the death of her
sister he went out at the top after winning his 13th Premier League title
and be kept equai oh no no you know in my sons nobody knew until David Gill
wanted seem in a Sunday afternoon and he came along who says I'm retiring
I said so my I remember being asked in
the late 90s when I was to find that straight to going around the city as you know presenting the
results we wrote on
the stock exchange then you know what's gonna happen Alex Ferguson retires yeah what's
gonna happen so without
doubt it was when Alex left was going to be it was a sea change for the club who
don't have a person as important and as influential and successful as that for many many years
without being a sea
change you know with people what's happened there's always a bit of uncertainty and he went
out after a very successful season and I think it's
personally I think was the right decision it told me a huge secret not many people
knew like one months or two months before the decision to be to be made to
stop I know that it trust me because if he doesn't he doesn't tell me but I was
I was scared I was scared so when finally he informed the media about this
decision was a sense of relief the man chosen to replace Ferguson was no
big-name no proven winner David Moyes survived less than a year many blamed
Sir Alex for appointing his friend now what are the biggest issue for any
leader is when to go when to call it a day and how to plan the succession did you
get it right on a succession when at the
news retirement do you always believe that one man could decide the future -
estimated it's absolute nonsense there was a good process that a professional
football club they know without doing the Glazers diva girl Josie was get back
to Chelsea careless answer what he was going to Real Madrid your gink office
signed a contract a doorman we went gal with stain was doing with Hall and the
World Cup probably every manager in the world looks at Man United's as a huge
club but I wanted to come to Chelsea and
we didn't brought that into the table because we were so open and he knows so
much about myself that he knew that for
almost the season I want to leave Real Madrid and I want to come to Jos the
other thing was a tube pep guardiola for dinner in New York on this September
and had no idea I was ever gonna retire and I said to him give me a call when
tell me what you're going to do no I know no answer I don't think we made a
mistake at all I think we chose a good football mine did a great job at Everton
11 years here we picked her in mind unfortunately it didn't work for David
yeah well sometimes people say don't know the critics well it was impossible for David Moyes
because he inherited
this team and you'd stop trying there's this continual thing of it we're left at
all tea and all that nonsense we wonder we ballin' points Thunder evil the average age and my
team's consistently and all the years the 20 years away from his started when the championship
was 27 to 28
every year the Frank is retired say six seven years ago Nick T retired it's a 35
quaint whale I don't mean of my assistant equate wait wait he could move right into the job with
the experience
of being assistant manager to me as he's doing in helping who event gala the moments but I
would never ask you where
to quit he said that I mean obviously played until I was 40 it's obviously a
completely different job completely different mind circling from play into coaching so it would
have been great for
me personally to to work under Sir Alex
to see how he worked behind the scenes because you don't really see that as a player greed
weight has spoken to many
managers we me because that's a process we'd like to have asked them what they felt were we
even a big co-op to go in
the bigger club to come in my chest hated but wasn't there for us I think they did we did the base
under the
circumstances well in we have come to the end of the session let's give it up for South
now we spent a long time analyzing your leadership and the lessons for others
how would you sum it up well I think consistency is I think it probably sums
me up I think that and the 26.5 years was there I never changed my conviction
or my philosophy and my attitudes that consistency created players who were
consistent the Cobble consistent and that's what made them the best club in the world without
question my day job is
an investment banking so I learned a lot from how he's dealt with very highly
paid individuals what really came across
was his passion and so you could see how much he loved what he does the key thing
is how to lead very young teams of very talented people and being able to get them to deliver the
most understanding
about how to manage the talent pipeline bringing players in is ability to
constantly renew himself there's a great lesson on it for all of us
you