7 Leadership Secrets Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson, former Manager, Manchester United, UK

Written by

Steve Tappin
CEO Xinfu, Host of BBC CEO Guru & Founder, WorldOfCEOs.com

His autobiography is released today, so what lessons can we draw from this sporting icon?



When Manchester United boss Sir Alex – the most successful manager of a British soccer team in decades – announced his retirement back in May, it generated more than 1.4 million Twitter mentions within the first hour. This ranked as more significant than the death of Margaret Thatcher, if slightly less so than the announcement of the new Pope.

So here are Sir Alex's seven leadership lessons:

(1) Face Tough Reality And Sort Problems Out Head-On

The son of a Glasgow shipbuilder, Ferguson’s grit was forged during 17 relatively unspectacular years as a player in Scottish football. He reflected: “The adversity gave me a sense of determination that has shaped my life. I made up my mind that I would never give in.”

When he became manager of Manchester United in 1986, the tough reality was that the side hadn’t won the football league for 26 years – Ferguson was depressed by the players’ level of fitness and worried that they were drinking too much. However, as he would do many times in later years, Ferguson drew strength from adversity, managing to increase their discipline and improve results.

A key lesson for CEOs is not to let problems fester but to tackle them head-on. As Ferguson says:

“No one likes to get criticized. But in the dressing room, it’s necessary that you point out your players’ mistakes. I do it right after the game. I don’t wait until Monday, I do it, and it’s finished. I’m on to the next match.”

(2) Only Accept Winning

“I’ve never played for a draw in my life,” boasts Ferguson, and with 49 trophies, 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups to his name, it shows. He has inspired by his passion, convincing players that they can push their performance on through a brick wall.

Ferguson is also passionate about his politics, leading his friend and Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell to comment:

If there is one lesson politics can take from sport, and someone as successful as Fergie, it is that if winning is what matters, make sure you do everything you need to do to win. That sounds obvious. But it is a mindset that combines the big vision with microscopic attention to detail.”

The temptation for Western CEOs is to get stuck in the mindset of incremental improvements, where 5% sales growth will get them through. However, as they come up against the big dreamers of increasingly professional Chinese companies, they would do well to adopt the mindset of the binary world of sport, where there are only winners and losers.

(3) No-One Is Bigger Than The Team

While he made solid transfer decisions, a big part of Ferguson’s success was the ability to spot talent and nurture from within. He turned exuberant “show ponies” – such as the 17-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo – into team players, while providing a home for talented misfits like Eric Cantona.

If you think there are big egos and strong characters in your organization, just look inside a Premier League dressing room. Ferguson’s genius has been to make everyone understand that the glory and the riches that they enjoy flow from being part of a winning team. It doesn’t matter how big a star you are. The team is always bigger. Either he was in control or the players were – as Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and David Beckham found out to their cost.

Many CEOs should apply this to their top teams and deal more firmly with the big individuals who end up casting a dysfunctional shadow on team spirit and the company culture.

(4) Command Loyalty As A True Father Figure

One of the great characters of football, Ferguson is often associated with his volatile temper. His “hairdryer” – whereby he dressed down a team member with such force and directness that it was said to dry his hair – is the stuff of legend. However, his role as a mentor and a father figure should be not be overlooked.

Ultimately, Ferguson has been more about building players up than knocking them down:

“There is no room for criticism on the training field. For a player – and for any human being – there is nothing better than hearing ‘Well done’. Those are the two best words ever invented in sports.” Whatever the private exchanges, he always defends his team externally: “There is no point in criticizing a player forever. And I never discuss an individual player in public. The players know that. It stays indoors.”

CEOs can learn much about loyalty and the importance of seeking external perspectives from Ferguson, who also told Alistair Campbell:

“You know my definition of friendship – the real friend is the one who walks through the door when the others are putting on their coats to leave… I know from my position here that sometimes there can be so much noise and fury going on around you that you need people outside your own bubble who can take a slightly different perspective for you. We all need that.”

(5) Work Hard & Stay Fresh

Renowned for his work ethic and 7am training sessions, Ferguson says:

“I tell players that hard work is a talent, too. They need to work harder than anyone else.”

However, Ferguson – whose outside interests span racing and military history – is an unlikely advocate of work-life balance, commenting:

Mental and physical fitness are two sides of the same coin. You have to build rest into any program. That’s another thing that applies in all worlds, not just sport. I don’t think you can do high-pressure jobs now without being physically fit… there were times I could see [the leader] was getting tired, and I was thinking he’s probably doing too much himself, not delegating, not spreading the load.”

Only when they apply this insight can CEOs consistently perform at their best:

“Being able to analyze a situation and then decide what to do – that is such an important part of these top jobs. Reaching the right decisions under pressure.”

(6) Build An Enduring Institution Of Which People Want To Be A Part

Ferguson told the Harvard Business School that core to his success at Manchester United was building a “club” and not just building a “team” to survive:

“The first thought for 99% of new managers is to make sure they win – to survive. They bring experienced players in, often from their previous clubs. But I think it is important to build a structure for a football club, not just a football team. You need a foundation. And there is nothing better than seeing a young player make it to the first team. The idea is that the younger players are developing and meeting the standards that the older ones have set before.”

With a 27-year reign that’s eclipsed that of most CEOs and political leaders, Ferguson has excelled in managing multi-generation succession at his club. The baton has passed from the likes of Lee Sharpe and Nicky Butt, to Phil Jones on the inside and Robin van Persie from the outside. This would-be dinosaur has actually moved with the times, embracing new technology and medical advances to build a state-of-the-art training facility at Carrington. Ferguson has kept on developing his style and systems – and, professing that the modern player is somewhat more fragile – even claims to have mellowed a bit over the years.

(7) Leave On A High

Back on top of the English Premier League, Ferguson was wise enough to step away from the touchline of the beautiful game at a time of his choosing; without being given the red card. While it’s tempting to stay on and have another go and the ‘treble’ and the UEFA Champions League, the smart move is to leave space for someone else to take it on. That way his legacy has room to grow.

Many great leaders are true ‘one-offs’ and it is too simplistic to suggest that they should seek to bottle their essence to be preserved in aspic. Rather, the big challenge for them is to groom the next generation and ‘blend the essence’ so that it’s fit for their current and future organisation. Ferguson’s anointed successor, David Moyes, is said to be another Scot in the same mold but he is still going through a difficult transition.

Note to soccer fans: As a passionate lifelong fan of Leeds United, a competing soccer team, it's hard for me to write this post in praise of Sir Alex (easier though after Leeds' 1-0 FA Cup Victory over Manchester United in 2010!). However, I have to respect what Sir Alex has achieved and the lessons we can draw from his leadership.


*** And Don’t Forget To Add Some "Fergie Time" ***

One of the most revealing passages in Sir Alex’s new autobiography is when he deals with the matter of Fergie dj Time”. He admits that theatrically tapping on his watch as matches reached their conclusion was a psychological ploy.

The long-held popular belief was that this tactic would intimidate referees into granting Manchester United a little extra “stoppage time” (added with injuries, player changeovers etc.) at the end of either leg of a match. It was often in these vital extra seconds that his team would successfully score the goal that needed to level up the match or clinch victory. As BBC TV soccer presenter Gabby Logan would often say during her commentaries: “They're playing Fergie Time!!”

I think the lesson here is that leaders and sports players – when in really matters – are able to get fully “in the zone” and into a state of peak performance. In this moment, we seem to lose track of conventional “clock time”, and the usual physical obstacles melt away. American football player John Brodie brings this concept to life:

“Time seems to slow way down… It seems as if I had all the time in the world.. and yet I know the defensive line is coming at me just as fast as ever.”

A truly great leader can shift other people’s perceptions of reality - inspire people to do the impossible. “Fergie Time” reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous “reality distortion field” – which famously inspired his team to create ever-smaller, faster “insanely great” products – and convince us to buy products that we didn’t even know we needed.


With Sir Alex's retirement, have we really seen the end of "Fergie Time"?

Sumber : http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131024113124-13518874-sir-alex-ferguson-s-7-leadership-secrets?trk=mp-details-rc

Economic Success = Education

Dr. PAUL KRUGMAN
Nobel Prize Winner

"If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that
word would be “education".... Until now, the results of educational
neglect have been gradual — a slow-motion erosion of America’s
relative position. But things are about to get much worse, as the
economic crisis ... deals a severe blow to education across the
board.... We need to wake up and realize that one of the keys to our
nation’s historic success is now a wasting asset. Education made
America great; neglect of education can reverse the process."

Globalisasi Simbol

Oleh: Andre Vincent Wenas,MM,MBA.

“We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” – Jean Baudrillard.

***

     Di era tumpah ruahnya informasi di dunia ini yang tak dibarengi menguatnya serta meningkatnya daya kritis masyarakat maka tanda dan simbol tidak lagi mengacu (menunjuk) pada kebenaran (the truth), namun tanda dan simbol itu telah menjadi sang kebenaran itu sendiri. Makna referensial simbol/tanda kepada kebenaran seolah copot, dan ia meng-klaim kebenaran pada dirinya sendiri.

*** 

     Di tataran ekonomi mikro, waktu Apple merilis produk teranyarnya, iPhone 5S dan iPhone 5C, baru-baru ini, di pusat belanja Ginza, Tokyo, ada tak kurang dari 800 orang calon pembeli rela (bahkan semangat) untuk antre. Mereka mengantre sambil mengenakan kostum Batman, bahkan ada juga yang pakai topeng berwajah Steve Jobs, sang pendiri Apple, lengkap dengan sweater turtle neck warna hitam dan celana panjang jeans belel yang merupakan ciri khasnya. Di Australi dikabarkan lebih dari 400 orang berdiri di kawasan bisnis Sidney ketika gerai iPhone baru dibuka pukul 8 pagi.

     Di skala yang lebih makro, demi memerangi tekanan inflasi, bank sentral India beberapa waktu lalu menaikkan suku bunga acuan 0,25%. Suku bunga repo, yaitu bunga pinjaman dari bank sentral kepada bank komersial naik dari 7,25% menjadi 7,50%. Seperti diketahui di minggu ketiga September lalu tingkat inflasi India menyentuh 6,1%, ini posisi tertinggi dalam kurun enam bulan terakhir. Kata Raghuram Rajan, gubernur RBI (Reserve Bank of India), “Kenaikan bunga repo sebesar 25 basis poin diharapkan bisa menurunkan inflasi ke level yang dapat ditoleransi.”  Di pelbagai belahan dunia lain, banyak bank sentral yang juga  memfokuskan kebijakannya pada defisit fiskal dan inflasi yang dipercaya telah banyak menggerus daya beli. 

***

     Beberapa fenomena simbolisasi yang terjadi baru-baru ini. Label (judul) ‘mobil murah’ apakah betul sesungguhnya merupakah solusi transportasi yang berpihak kepada rakyat kecil? Apa betul simbol/tanda ‘murah’ disini punya makna membela kepentingan rakyat kecil?

     Tanda pertumbuhan ekonomi yang disimbolisasi dengan angka PDB, angka laju inflasi, neraca perdagangan (ekspor-impor), neraca pembayaran, angka jumlah cadangan devisa, angka arus modal masuk serta pertumbuhan investasi, dan lain-lainnya itu apakah sesungguhnya betul merepresentasikan kemakmuran dan kebahagiaan hidup yang nyata dialami masyarakat kecil secara meluas dan merata?

     Jika seseorang berkata-kata dengan menyitir bahasa Inggris di sana-sini (termasuk artikel ini) serta istilah-istilah ‘canggih’ yang sering diucapkan kaum cendekiawan maka apakah orang itu pastilah terbilang dalam kaum cendekiawan juga? Sama halnya seperti orang yang gemar menempelkan pelbagai atribut merek tenar serta gelar pada badan atau dirinya maka apakah dengan demikian ia otomatis adalah sungguh dan sebenarnyalah
orang yang sukses serta berkualitas hidupnya?  Mirip juga dengan orang yang senantiasa memakai atribut-atribut religi tertentu maka apakah ia sesungguhnya dan sebenarnyalah orang yang religius, baik serta santun peri hidupnya di dalam ruang privatnya?

***

     Baiklah artikel ini ditutup dengan membiarkan pertanyaan-pertanyaan tadi untuk terus terbuka sehingga senantiasa mengundang kegundahan. Dan dengan demikian bisa memancing daya kritis kita untuk menyaring banjir informasi, tanda dan simbol untuk kemudian membedahnya ke kedalaman kenyataan yang sebenarnya (the
truth).

     Karena hal yang sesungguhnya mesti diperangi dalam globalisasi simbol ini dalah kedangkalan analisis, sesat pikir dan erosi daya kritis akibat kampanye konsumerisme lewat media-media massa global. Dan juga penyuntingan berita-berita yang kerap kali pekat dengan kepentingan-kepentingan aliran politik dan kapital dunia dari sementara pihak, dan akibatnya telah terjadi pembengkokan realitas. Simbol-simbol pencitraan menjadi semakin berkuasa, dan kebenaran semakin tenggelam. 

(twitter@andrewenas)
---------------------------------------------------
Artikel dari Majalah MARKETING, edisi November 2013

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Email: strategicmanagementservices@yahoo.com

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Just In Time di Indonesia

Salah satu yang diajarkan oleh JIT adalah permintaan pengiriman material secara parsial, sesuai yang dibutuhkan  atau yang sudah diatur jadwal produksinya oleh customer. Jika bergaining posisition supplier lebih lemah, (entah itu karena skala bisnis yang lebih kecil, ketergantungan order yang besar, ataupun karena customer adalah perusahaan monopoli) maka dia akan tak berdaya dan mengikuti saja apa yang diinginkan oleh customernya,

walaupun parsial delivery itu cenderung menyulitkan dia.

Apakah SEMUA CUSTOMER MEMIKIRKAN KESULITAN SUPPLIERNYA ? Pendekatan primitif tentang pemasok cenderung untuk berfikir secara zero sum (menang kalah). Sehingga hanya memindahkan stock kepada suppliernya saja, agar si customer sendiri bisa zero inventory dan just in time ?

                         

Bagaimana dengan si supplier, apakah dia bisa zero inventory juga,  dan bisa just in time juga ? Banyak supplier yang akhirnya harus menumpuk stock berlebih hanya agar bisa mensupplay material yang diinginkan customernya (yang polanya belum tentu teratur, sesuai kanban yang diatur customer) agar setiap saat bisa mengirimkan barang yang dinginkan customer. Di sini justru malah si supplier yang melakukan tindakan yang tidak menambah nilai yaitu over stock. Yang tentu saja ini salah satu bentuk Muda (pemborosan).

Dengan level stock yang tinggi, maka barang di supplier akan terancam kadaluarsa, cepat rusak dan membebani cash flownya. Tinggal menunggu waktu saja, cepat atau lambat, si supplier ini yang justru bermasalah. Jika supplier

bermasalah, bisakah dia selalu on time dan just time mengirimkan barang ke customernya ? Pengalaman di tempat saya mengatakan tidak akan selalu

berjalan dengan smooth

                       

 Karenanya pendekatan terbaru terhadap supplier bukan hanya selection dan valuation vendor, tapi juga pembinaan dan bantuan kepada vendor untuk mengatasi segala kesulitannya dan memberikan segala informasi yang dipunyai oleh customer untuk membantu vendor. bahkan dalam pendekatan supply chain management, Customer tidak hanya mengurusi dan membantu suppliernya, tapi juga suppliernya supplier... hingga sampai ke hulu supplier. Ini dimaksudkan untuk menghindari kegagalan delivery oleh supplier. Sebab kadang sebuah masalah bukan disebabkan oleh supplier, tapi justru oleh pihak lain di luar supplier itu.

                         Suatu contoh, sebuah perusahaan sparepart otomotif memiliki supplier karton box (corrugated carton box). Perusahan otomotif ini minta kepada suppliernya untuk mengirim karton box secara parsial, sesuai yang diminta oleh customer. Karena customer tidak pernah memberikan informasi schedule produksi dan delivery dan informasi lainnya, akibatnya si supplier tidak tahu berapa kira-kira dia harus menyipakan materialnya. Pilihan logis yang diambilnya adalah menumpuk stock material sebanyak-banyaknya.

Namun tiba-tiba keadaan berubah. Suppliernya perusahaan karton box, yang notabene

adalah produsen kertas yang di Indonesia keberadaannya masih monopoli (duopoli) menerapkan kebijakan agar semua pembeli material untuk karton box membayar secara cash total dimuka (bukan advanced payment), baru bisa mendapatkan material yang diminta. Akibatnya posisi perusahaan karton box ini menjadi kelimpungan karena kesulitan cash flow (likuiditas). Apalagi ketika customernya yang perusahaan sapreparts otomotif itu berkehendak untuk mengganti spek material, sementara material dengan spek lama masih menumpuk. Akibatnya perusahaan karton box ini terncam gulung tikar, dan tidak bisa mengirim barang  lagi.

Tidak semudah membalikkan telapak tangan bukan ? Banyak perusahaan besar kemudian mengambil langkah pintas dalam supply chain management ini dengan menerapkan Keiretsu. Yaitu semua suppliernya dari hilir ke hulu adalah perusahaan dalam grupnya sendiri. Tapi apakah itu mudah dilakukan oleh semua perusahaan di Indonesia ?

Masalah kedua berkaitan dengan pengendalian stock ini adalah letak perusahaan supplier yang berjauhan dengan pabrik customer. Jika dalam literatur Lean Manufacture sering disebut istilah supplier yang letaknya di wilayah industri yang sama. Apakah hal ini akan mudah diterapkan di Indonesia, atau paling tidak di Jabodetabek ?

Jika di Jepang, semua supplier utama Toyota ini berada di area Toyota City. Yang berarti semua supplier utama Toyota letak pabriknya tidak jauh dari pabrik Toyota. Sehingga masalah kemacetan bukan menjadi kendala. Tapi bandingkan dengan di Jabodetabek. Apakah semua supplier utama kita letaknya di sekitar pabrik kita ? Toyota Indonesia yang pabriknya ada di Sunter dan Karawang, ternyata mempunyai supplier utama seperti Sugity yang ada di Cikarang, Aisin di Bekasi, Abadi Barindo (Ex Kadera-AR) di Gandamekar Cikarang Barat, GKD Group di Pegangsaan Dua Kelapa Gading, dan lain-lain.

Apakah lalu lintas antara Sunter, Karawang, Cikarang, Bekasi, dan Kelapa Gading selalu lancar dan mudah terjangkau ? Bagaimana jika terjadi kemacetan yang panjang, atau demo buruh seperti hari buruh kemarin ? Apakah semua supplier tetap bisa mengirimkan barang on time, sehingga level stock perusahaan kita tetap terjaga ?

Di negara yang blue print kebijakan manufakturnya masih tidak stabil seperti Indonesia ini, mengharap semua supplier kita berda dalam kawasan industri yang sama tentu saja merupakan sebuah harapan yang naif. Akibatnya tetap saja kita harus mencari suuplier yang letaknya di luar kawasan industri pabrik kita. Jika demikian, bagaimana dengan masalah kemacetan lalu lintas, hambatan transportasi, demo buruh, dan sebagainya ?

Bisakah kebijakan satu suppleir diterapkan ? Bagaimana dengan kebijakan dua atau lebih supplier ? Ini berarti penyesuaian dong dengan konsep single suppliernya TPS. Tapi kenapa tidak ?

                         

Sementara itu, jika semua material utama kita diperoleh melalu import, dapatkah kita menerapkan kebijakan parsial delivery untuk mejaga level stock agar tetap rendah ? Ini sangat sulit sekali, karena dengan import, kita harus mengikuti aturan minimal import.

Jika minimal import ini jauh dari kebutuhan per bulan kita, tentu saja membuat level stock menjadi tinggi. Belum lagi harus menghadapi masalah pengurusan adminidtrasi import yang lama dan panjang. Sehingga banyak perusahaan yang kemudian mengecualikan barang importini dalam kebijakan level stock rendah mereka.

Bahkan sebuah perusahaan otomotif besar sekalipun akhirnya memberikan diskon yang cukup besar untuk mobil yang diimportnya secara CBU (completly built up). Ini artinya mobil ini tidak bisa diimport jumlahnya sesuai yang diminta oleh customer (sesuai dengan konsep JIT)

                         

Oleh karena itu, jangan terlalu terpukau dengan satu konsep manufaktur semata, tapi ambillah semangat dan intisari konsep itu yang bisa diterapkan sesuai dengan kondisi perusahaan kita. Perlu ada proses dialektika dalam memahami dan menerapkan suatu konsep manajemen manufaktur dengan kondisi dan kebutuhan nyata perusahaan.

Salam,

Agus Hendri - Bogor