#BattleFest2014: What makes a great sporting leader?

With the England cricket team experiencing a turbulent tour of Australia, culminating in a humiliating whitewash, and the problems of succession currently engulfing Manchester United, the issue of management and leadership in sport has been thrust into the spotlight. Is a great sporting leader born or made? What are the key factors for creating a football dynasty, whether it be Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United or Bill Shankly at Liverpool? And can a manager really make that much difference today at a time when money plays such a big role in sporting success?

Have the requirements of a great sporting leader changed with time? For instance, could a celebrated leader from the past such as Brian Clough succeed today while having to deal with the money, the egos, the politics and the pressures of modern football? Or can a great leader succeed in any circumstances?

Is a key component of a great leader the ability to accommodate and manage disruptive and difficult personalities, if they are vital to the success of the team? Or do great leaders need to exhibit a ruthlessness in the world of personnel and ego management? What makes up the winning mentality in 2014, and are there common ingredients to successful leadership, whether in sport, business or politics?

 

Speakers

Matthias Heitmann
freelance journalist; contributor, NovoArgumente; columnist, Schweizer Monat
Thais Portilho
journalist; campaigns and public affairs consultant
Luke Regan
research officer, The Sports Think Tank
Hilary Salt
founder, First Actuarial
Philip Walters
chair, Rising Stars (educational publisher), and the GL Education Group

Chair

Geoff Kidder
director, membership and events, Institute of Ideas; convenor, IoI Book Club; IoI’s resident expert in all sporting matters