who endured my informal polling via tweets and posts and gave me their thoughts,
opinions, and insight. I hope I captured your passion in this writing.
Dedicated to the man himself, here are "Lessons in Leadership from Bill Shankly."
Lesson One – Have a Lofty and Challenging Goal
“My idea
was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility. Had Napoleon had that
idea he would have conquered the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be
untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone
would have to submit and give in.” – Bill Shankly
As manager of Liverpool Football Club, Bill Shankly had the
highest of goals. He took Liverpool to glory by winning, yes, but also by
inculcating the club with his character, honesty and sincerity. Transformational leadership is defined as the way the leader
affects his followers. By mandating the
goal and its value, focusing on the team, and tapping his players’ need for
accomplishment, Bill Shankly was this type of leader.
Every player Shankly signed knew the team objective was to be the
best. Every player knew that he was part of the organization and each was needed
to achieve the goal. And every one of them bought into Shankly’s vision. They
trusted him completely. It was said that if Shankly had told the players the
pitch was pink (not green) they would have believed him. Even long into
retirement, his players continued to stand in respect and awe of the “boss.”
Shankly's leadership style also exhibited the components and moral
aspects of real transformational leadership. First is the charisma, or
idealized influence, Shankly held over the players, supporters and the press.
His power of oratory is said to have made politicians envious. Shankly believed
that natural enthusiasm is the greatest thing in the world, saying, “You are
nothing without it.” Second, he was a
true inspirational motivator, having an unshakeable belief in his team, and
filling them with his desire to be the best.
“Fire in your belly,” Shankly said, “Comes from pride and passion in
wearing the red shirt.”
Showing his moral character, Shankly felt honesty was all
important to his team. Honesty would bring out the best of one’s
abilities. He believed that honesty between
himself and his players created an unbreakable, almost mystical bond. Guided by
conscience, he was assertive, but never superior.
There was also a bond between Shankly and the supporters. His
beloved Anfield stadium is a shrine to his memory, his ashes scattered on the
pitch. The 15-foot high Shankly Gates and seven-foot tall bronze statue testify
that Shankly is iconic, idolized, and revered.
Lesson Two – Go for the Gold!
“If you are first you are first.
If you are second, you are nothing." – Bill Shankly
Supporters participating in an informal poll confirmed that respect
for a leader hinges on his success, with over 20% of respondents saying
Shankly’s most important leadership trait was his ability to achieve
results. The theory of
achievement-oriented leadership says that a leader looks for and expects
results, believing in his team’s ability to succeed. Shankly forged the path
head-on, and then put full confidence in his players to give their best.
As a young manager, Shankly learned all he could of the back-room
secrets about fitness and training and he brought that knowledge to
Liverpool. He was hard on his players,
if they needed it. He once said, "For
a player to be good enough to play for Liverpool, he must be prepared to run
through a brick wall for me then come out fighting on the other side." He built his formidable team on skill,
character, and eagerness, and then he outfitted them in all red so they were
intimidating figures as well.
Shankly had set for Liverpool a challenging goal, and through hard
work, continuous improvement, and adherence to the plan, the path he laid truly
did lead to gold - or, in the world of football, silver.
Lesson Three – Make the People Happy
“I was only
in the game for the love of football – and I wanted to bring back happiness to
the people of Liverpool.” – Bill Shankly
In The Truth aboutLeadership, the authors write that leadership is “an affair of the
heart” and that it is the task of leaders to serve others. Leaders, they say,
make others feel more confident and capable, and elevate them to a higher
plane, both morally and in performance.
While he had a lofty goal, Bill Shankly’s character exuded
selflessness. One supporter said that
Shankly had “stark, effortless, and wholly genuine humanity.” He has been
called compassionate, and “a man of the people.” He spoke the language of the
listener, and had a way of positively engaging all who came into contact with
him. He answered letters from fans personally, with graciousness and humility.
Those who played football for him say that Shankly would “make you
feel like the best player in the world; and you and the team feel invincible.” Shankly drummed it into his players that they
were privileged to play for the fans, telling them if they gave the fans what
they wanted, they would be their heroes. And they were.
Legacy of the Lessons
Bill Shankly came to Liverpool Football Club in December 1959. The club
was, at that time, in the second division of England’s Football Association.
Like every manager and team in the F. A., Shankly’s goal was to be first
division. But Bill Shankly wanted more
than that. His vision was to “build
Liverpool up and up and up, into a bastion of invincibility.” Shankly was the first Liverpool manager to
win a European trophy, and thus had taken Liverpool to world-class greatness
they would never forget. He won only five trophies in his fifteen year tenure
at Liverpool, yet each was like a fairy tale for the team and its fans. His is
a legacy of a family of supporters, generation after generation, wholly devoted
to their team, their manager, and each other. He transformed a team and some say, the game
of football.
His humanity, compassion and positive interaction with all not
only showed people he cared, but also garnered the best from any situation, all
for the benefit of the club and its supporters.
Bill Shankly set a high goal, brought home the trophies, and made the
people happy.
“Above
all, I would like to be remembered as a man who was selfless, who strove and
worried so that others could share the glory, and who built up a family of
people who could hold their heads up high and say, 'We're Liverpool.’” – Bill
Shankly
