What football can teach us about change and transformation

There will be so much analysis, probably for years, of the great leadership shown by the England football manager, Gareth Southgate and what other leaders can learn from him.

For me, he’s been a brilliant example of the approach needed for long-term change and transformation – that resilience, perseverance and staying on track, especially as a leader of change. This can be very tricky, when you are being pushed by shareholders, your team and a myriad of other stakeholders to make change rapidly to get quick results.

Staying on track over the long-term can be challenging but, as we’re seeing with the England football team, the results can be amazing.

Here are five approaches from the world of football* to take into any transformation to help improve your results.

Have a clear vision – and share it

One of the biggies for any transformation is having a clear vision of where you’re heading and being able to clearly articulate and share that so people know what they’re aiming for. Looking back at news articles from 2016, there was already mention of Southgate’s vision for the England team, in particular, of making more of talented players and allowing them to express themselves. The vision was already there even before he got the job as England manager.

Playing to your strengths

Obvious when you’re talking about a football team, but there’s more to it. When you’re focused on the long-term, you are less likely to flex to fit with the views of those around you and go down a cul-de-sac of short-term goals. You’re focused on what’s right to achieve your long-term plan.

It might not be exciting, but that’s not the aim – it’s to play to your strengths to get results. It’s definitely worked for Southgate.

Emotions matter

You will face other people’s emotions, often in the form of very strong opinions, when you’re driving change and transformation. And, those emotions won’t always be positive – they are often people’s way of conveying the impact of change. Just think of a few of the England fans and pundits’ views over the last few years.

When you’re facing those emotions, you’ll need to keep reminding yourself that these are someone else’s views and not yours, so you don’t get dragged off your vision.


It’s not all about you…

It’s about hiring the right team – in terms of both skills and fit to help drive transformation. When you’ve got the right team in place, work hard to build their trust and make sure you’re involving them in your decision-making – they may have perspectives you won’t have considered that could build on your approach. Give them the opportunity and empowerment to do great things – and make mistakes along the way too.

And, defending your team by setting strong boundaries with other stakeholders to help them stay focused on the priorities that will achieve the vision, is absolutely key.

… but it is about you

You can’t successfully lead long-term transformation if you’re not looking after yourself. You can’t set boundaries for others if you haven’t set them for yourself.

The 5 ways to wellbeing approach provides a great framework to follow for some of the basics, alongside sleep, nutrition and hydration:

Connect – get yourself a network of trusted supporters who you can share ideas and vent with. It will make a big difference.

Be active – getting and staying active is hugely positive for our bodies and brains - you don’t have to be managing a football team to keep moving.

Take notice – being in the moment, not rushing to the next thing and noticing what’s going on around us – all hugely valuable in appreciating what’s going on and giving us a different perspective

Keep learning – every day is a school day. Even though footballers practice, practice, practice, I’m confident they will be learning something new about themselves and others in the process

Give – Gareth Southgate’s empathetic and collaborative leadership style means that he is constantly giving time to listen to his players and advisers to make the right decisions. This approach of looking out as well as reflecting in, can be hugely rewarding.

But other things like delegation, empowering and trusting your teams to make the right decisions, setting clear boundaries and making time to consider things from different perspectives are also vital.

In today’s fast-paced world where we’re so often focused on the short-term and quick fixes, the pace, resilience and determination needed to deliver transformation are often under-rated.

In the form of the England manager, we may just have a brilliant role model of what’s needed for anyone to successfully lead long-term change.

* I’m not a football fan but a huge admirer of Southgate’s leadership.