Originally written by Jacqueline Benjamin on Small Business
There is no shortage of successful business people proffering top tips on how to run a small business, or how to get the most out of your workforce.
But when it comes to seeking inspiration for your business, it sometimes pays to look a little further afield. And by “afield”, we literally mean a football pitch.
The football pitch can offer many valuable insights, particularly when it comes to people management.
After all, football managers are not dissimilar to any manager of teams of people (with the exception that few managers have their work appraised so passionately by hundreds of thousands of fans each week). Each football manager bears significant pressure and responsibility for getting the most out of their team. And each approaches it in their own unique way. Some favour the “carrot” approach, such as Gareth Southgate, who led England’s team to unexpected success at the last World Cup with his particular style of gentle, thoughtful management. Others prefer the “stick” – Alex Ferguson springs to mind, who famously kicked a football boot at David Beckham’s head when unhappy with a performance.
Two of today’s most revered football managers – Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Man

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