Leadership | Strategy

“How does someone become their true self? When I was young I never gave the topic much thought but, as a player and particularly as a manager, I became increasingly interested in the subject. If you are leading people, it helps to have a sense of who they are–the circumstances in which they were raised, the actions that will draw out the best in them, and the remarks that will cause them to be spooked. The only way to figure this out is by two underrated activities: listening and watching. Most people don’t use their eyes and ears effectively. They aren’t very observant and they fail to listen intently. As a result, they miss half of what is going on around them. I can think of some managers who could talk under water. I don’t think it helps them.”

Excerpt From: Alex Ferguson. “Leading.”

“In sport, as in business, organizations are constantly searching for new ways to gain an advantage over the competition. This competitive edge is invariably sought out in the analytical and the psychological sides of the business. The consensus of opinion in sport seems to be that we ‘get’ the physical side of the business – we are all more or less on the same lines in the areas of conditioning, training, etc. – but with the data and the mind of the player, there are multiple new approaches, techniques and technology still to be developed. Of course, we rarely get the future right, but we have to start somewhere. Plans never work out perfectly, but having no plan at all is even worse.”

Excerpt From: Carlo Ancelotti. “Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches.”

“From the time that he was a youth, Warren was obsessively interested in business and investing. For a few years after Columbia Business School—he was rejected by Harvard Business School—he worked in New York for his financial idol, Benjamin Graham (the coauthor of Warren’s bible, Security Analysis). He then returned to his hometown of Omaha and not only built the world’s greatest, most admired investment track record, but did so in a unique way: with a small staff, no office computer, and no use of investment banking advisors; making quick decisions on transactions, with no competitive bidding or price negotiation, no unfriendly transactions; and with a focus on core industries at value (i.e., low) investment prices.”

Excerpt From: David M. Rubenstein. “How to Lead.”