So it is adios, then, Jose Mourinho.
The beleaguered Manchester United manger was finally shown the door yesterday in a not too unexpected turn of events, with the famous football team currently in 6th place a whopping 19 points behind arch rivals and league leaders Liverpool.
So what went wrong for the infamous Portuguese manager and what lessons in Leadership does this whole saga teach us?
Firstly past success is no guarantee of future success. What works with one team may not necessarily work with another. So a leader needs to be flexible – like a chameleon to be able to adjust their leadership style to the various personalities in the team.
While the now ex-United boss will probably not need our help with his coaching skills, Jose would do well to look at some courses on Influencing.
Influencing skills have become an essential ingredient of leadership required to produce the best teams in the workplace.
Being able to influence others is a skill which the most successful leaders and managers have.
Sadly for Mourinho he was unable to influence the star players at the Club and it is this lack of influence coupled with poor results which led to his downfall.
Whether you are working with individuals or in group meetings, Leadership courses show you how to use skills of influence, personality and communication to ensure that a common goal is achieved. Sadly for United lack of goals led to lack of success – in more ways than one!
Even if you are unsure of your current abilities Leadership training will give you the confidence to use the learning to have a positive influence on your colleagues and other people in your organisation.
Of course, creating and developing team leaders is well worth investing in: the decision to sack Mourinho, which will cost more than £18m has – according to a Club statement issued earlier today- been taken in the long-term interests of United with a regard that the club is bigger than any one individual.
What the future holds for Jose only time will tell. But if you plan to help a colleague make the leap from team member to team leader next year it is up to you to make sure they have access to the best resources available.
