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Oh Dear, England, Not Again ?

Oh Dear, England, Not Again ?

John Drysdale
June 14, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s the second edition of my newsletter. I hope this finds you well, and looking forward to the Euros...

“Reaching out

Touching me, touching you”

I clapped along with the rest of the audience, as the lyrics of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”, the anthem of England Football fans, reverberated across the theatre.

A year ago, I enjoyed a live performance of the play “Dear England” at the National Theatre in London. It retells the story of Gareth Southgate’s eventful management of the England men’s national football team.

With England on the brink of another major tournament, Southgate has stated:

"If you want to be a top coach, you have to deliver in the big moments.”

Most pundits agree that it’s his last chance.

To add pressure, England are the bookmakers’ favourites.

It’s rumoured his employer, The English Football Association want him to continue, whatever the outcome.

Is that because :

Building team spirit and engaging with fans are his greatest strengths.

The “Dear England” play refers to the letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021 during the Pandemic and just before the delayed 2020 delayed tournament. It was a difficult time, people had been suffering and the team had been booed for “taking the knee”, the protest against discrimination.

The letter was a masterful leadership action. Southgate drew from his personal values to align the whole nation behind the team, by stating:

Why he, Southgate, cares
Why the players care
Why the fans and the nation as a whole, should care

In that tournament, England lost the final to Italy in a penalty shoot-out.

But for the FA, was it really about the result?

A leader’s reputation depends on meeting stakeholders’ expectations.

On the plus side, he’s given the players back pride in “playing for the shirt”, developed a good relationship with the media and reached the later stages in three tournaments.

On the downside, he’s shown loyalty to players no longer meriting their places , caution in selection and tactics and a tendency to make bad decisions under pressure.

On balance, though, I would say that he has got more right than wrong.

But for Southgate’s employers, the English Football Association, surely, his key achievement has been increasing the level of engagement across the country:

The replica shirt and merchandise sales
Demand for match tickets
TV rights
Boost to the economy in pubs and clubs.

Isn’t winning trophies just the icing on the cake for them?

What does Southgate’s story suggest to us about leading effectively ?

Pay attention to a broad range of stakeholders’ expectations and don’t get preoccupied with very high profile events.
A leader’s purpose is to create the conditions to deliver success.
That’s about building a high performance culture and aligning stakeholders behind that.
Then it's about making the right decisions at the right time.

Southgate scores well on the first three and has been lacking on the final one.

As his team now prepares for their first match this weekend, he has shown signs that he is prepared to be bolder and more ruthless.