Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as Manager of Manchester United today, after 26 years in the job. No matter who you support there is no doubt that Sir Alex is the most successful club Manager ever. Here are some things he taught us:-
- Everyone loves a winner – even if that admiration is expressed as jealousy, to win is to succeed.
- Age is no barrier – Sir Alex is 71 & is retiring 6 years older than the “official” retirement age.
- Background is no barrier to success – he had a tough upbringing in Govan, Glasgow & some would say that was to his benefit.
- He evolved – adapting his Management skills to a changing environment.
- It’s OK to lose your temper occasionally – it demonstrates passion.
- He treats everyone as an individual – recognizing that everyone is different.
- He created winning Teams – developing a unifying winning culture.
- He was fearless – willing to take on anyone who disagreed with him.
- He was Ruthless – never scared to drop fans favorite players if they stepped out of line.
Good Luck Sir Alex.
Are you a Manager ? Do you spend all day glued to your screen ? Are you stuck in your “Ivory Tower” ? Are you far too busy to leave your office to walk around ? Think again….. In the book “In Search of Excellence” by Thomas J. Peters, Robert H. Waterman, Management By Walking Around or MBWA is described as “Getting management out of the office”. At United Airlines, Ed Carlson labeled it Visible Management or management by walking about. The Hewlett-Packard (HP) version of management by walking around” describes this technique as “marked by personal involvement, good listening skills and the recognition that everyone in an organization wants to do a good job.” Simply walking around is one of the most significant Management techniques you can employ, people feel valued that a Senior Manager has taken the time to get out and listen to her staff. “If you wait for people to come to you, you’ll only get small problems. You must go and find them. The big problems are where people don’t realize they have one in the first place.” – W. Edwards Deming Tomorrow get off your butt and have a walk around, you won’t regret it! 
Managers often complain they never get told bad news.