How to learn from Capello’s mistakes
POOR defending, non-existent marking, a lack of passion – there are numerous reasons for England’s horrible World Cup performance. Interestingly, though, many have argued that all the problems on the field were symptoms of troubles off it. The team, it appears, didn’t get on with the manager. Capello’s boot-camp culture clashed with the laid-back attitude of his team and the result was not just performances that sent grown men scuttling behind the sofa in horror, but gloomy body-language and – most importantly – insubordination from a senior player when he blamed the coach for the sub-standard results.
Chaos? Maybe. But the problems are common ones in business, says David Sims, professor of management at London’s Cass business school. In particular, refusing to take responsibility for poor performance and shifting the blame onto others is something that often happens. It is, says Sims, best seen as a childish behaviour. “Saying: ‘It’s all his fault’, shirking responsibility and leaving it as someone else’s problem is how children act, expecting the adult to take care of them,” he says.
As a manager, it is easy to respond to this by moving into the parent role and everybody is happy, but it doesn’t resolve the problem. Indeed, some of the management behaviour we have seen – like giving somebody a night out when they have won, or in other words, done their job properly – reinforces the dynamic. It’s like giving a child sweets when they behave. This is not a solution, says Sims. “You need to move to an adult-adult relationship.”
One of the oddest parts of this saga is that the manager didn’t seem able to win the respect of his team, despite his proven record. Even though Capello – who as a player achieved more than any of the England players have and has won the Italian and Spanish leagues as a manager – has apparently struggled to gain his team’s respect.
Surely his achievements should give him some authority? “If you are a person of moderate talent but a big ego,” says Sims, “then you probably wouldn’t accept that the manager had been better than you and that would make him resent it even more. If they end up convincing themselves that there are the injured hero, then that is the worst thing.” People can convince themselves they are being shockingly treated, and that is a hard conviction to break down.
In such a situation, there are two courses of action, says Sims. Either the manager starts
behaving in an equally childish way and takes away privileges, or alternatively he gets
somebody in to talk to the team about what it means to have this sort of professional
relationship.
That said, the manager also has responsibilities. “I think that it you have joined a culture then you have the responsibility to move that culture on. If you do it your way and people throw hissy fits then there is a cultural problem and you have to address it. If you just keep on saying: ‘We are going to do it my way’, then you don’t get anywhere.” Again, an adult conversation about roles and responsibilities is needed.
Jacqueline Davies, co-author of The Truth about Talent and a former head of learning and development at Lloyds TSB/HBOS, RBS and HSBC, says that as a manager you need to be transparent, set out what you expect from people, what are their roles in the team and what counts as success. However, this should be about principles, not a rigid set of rules. “You have to be able to adapt but some managers, especially older ones, find this flexibility hard.”
Secondly, she says, you have to get to know people. Capello’s poor English may have hindered this, but “especially when you have people with strong opinions, you need to know how to motivate them. It also gives you early intelligence when things are going wrong. The best managers know what is going on with your partner, where you are going on holiday. Those watercooler moments are vital. As a leader there is a real risk of becoming remote”. For the same reason, you have to socialise with people – to have social relationships, you have to create a social bond. “Sometimes going for a drink with somebody you don’t get on with is the last thing you want to do, but it gives you more intelligence to deal with the situation.”
Finally, authoritarian leaders run the risk of being seen as bullies. The idea that leadership has to be macho is still prevalent in the City, but this leads to a culture where people go into passive-aggressive mode; they do as they’re told but only do as they are told because they are scared of stepping out of line and do things to spite you. “Fear only gets you short-term results, but is not way to build long-term success.”