What Sir Alex Ferguson can teach us about leadership

The above is the title of a link on today’s BBC news website.

Until Ferguson’s new book came out, we thought we knew about his approach to leadership. Indeed, the BBC story carries his definition of leadership (paraphrased by Nick Robinson): “Leadership ... is a quality which allows your personality to transfer to everyone.”

His disdain for officialdom, his readiness to bully and even use violence, are well-known. Day after day he slagged off referees: and to no-one’s surprise, his players followed suit. Most notoriously, during a match in January 2000, Roy Keane led a lynch-mob of five players who pursued ref Andy D’Urso, shouting in his face and threatening to push him over.

Again, in 2003 Sir Alex famously threw or kicked a football boot into David Beckham’s face. Knowing this, we were less surprised about Roy Keane’s revenge “tackle” a year or two earlier which effectively ended Alf-Inge Haaland’s career. Or Eric Cantona's kung fu assault on a fan in 1995. (Ooh! Aah! Cantonese.)

Ferguson’s personality was also transferred to the behaviour of his players when on international duty. Beckham and Rooney famously lashed out at opponents, perhaps imagining that referees would quail from action as they did in the Premiership. Cristiano Ronaldo limited himself to some judicious play-acting, with more wisdom but with equal dishonour. And who can forget Roy Keane’s vicious mutiny against Mick McCarthy during the 2002 World Cup?

But Ferguson’s new book shows another aspect of his leadership. Bored or dissatisfied with having a go at referees, he is slagging off those who most loyally served him: such as Roy Keane (whom I thoroughly dislike for his role in events described above, but who does not deserve this from Fergie of all people) and David Beckham.

I’m reminded of Ray Illingworth, English cricket’s chicken supremo, who, during the 1995-96 tour of South Africa, laid into bowler Devon Malcolm. He carefully did this from a distance: sat in his armchair at home, like a WWI general, while his troops slogged it in a distant trench. Likewise Ferguson did not make his comments while in post, but carefully waited till he was no longer required to meet players or press face-to-face.

To say such things at all shows indifference to morale at Manchester United. But maybe he is acting with purpose: for if the club quickly fails without him, he has all the more cemented his personal legacy.

In short, the things Sir Alex Ferguson can teach me about leadership, I do not wish to know.

Second Money

Today I read that the FBI has closed down a site called Silk Road, with possible impact on Bitcoins.

I hadn’t heard of a Bitcoin. Apparently it’s a “virtual currency”. You buy bitcoins with real money, and use them online to buy stuff. When I heard about this, I was puzzled. I’ve heard of Second Life – a very useful resource for people who don’t have a first life. This sounded like a Second Income – for people who don’t have real money.

It turns out to be more like a Second Expenditure. Bitcoins are actually quite expensive. And then their value jumps up and down, like a real currency, even without the Feds taking an interest.

Which still leaves two questions. (1) Who determines that they are worth anything at all? And (2) Why not buy (online or otherwise) with pounds or dollars?

On the first point, the BBC explains that bitcoins “have value because enough people believe they do and there is a finite number of them”. Like Premiership footballers, or Royal Mail shares, or houses, or hostages, or snooker results. Or real money, come to that. Terry Pratchett wrote of “the fairy dream that the gold is there, at the end of the rainbow, and will continue to be there forever – provided, naturally, that you don’t go and look.” (Does anything have intrinsic value? Another topic, another day.)

On the second point, an important point is that you can use bitcoins anonymously. It’s about privacy. Some people prefer to buy stuff without divulging their identity. That’s why I wear a balaclava when I go to Tesco. That’s also why money-launderers like bitcoins: and that’s why the FBI are interested in their use.

And if the bottom falls out of the Bitcoin? I guess the bad guys will just have to go back to trading in snooker results.

Let the right one in

Like a good Tory, Theresa May is very upset when people can’t find jobs, and would like to take any measure possible to help, as long as it doesn’t involve spending any money.

One problem, of course, is that people are coming from overseas and taking jobs as road-sweepers and dentists. (Of course, trouble-makers have suggested that such jobs are either beneath or beyond home-grown candidates.)

So Ms May is asking GPs to check up on people’s immigration status. Foreigners out – problem solved.

Trouble is, the GPs haven’t got time. Nor have the teachers, library staff, etc. who will doubtless be asked to join in.

So who can perform this splendid and worthwhile duty?

The unemployed, of course. The government already wants them to work for their dole. They won’t get the dignity of a proper contract or proper pay, of course. What they can be given – at a relatively small outlay – is a nice uniform and a big stick. Then send them out looking for foreigners.

Two birds, one stone. I wonder why it hasn’t been tried before?