No this isn’t another post about the outstanding leadership qualities of Gareth Southgate and to be clear my knowledge of football is almost non existent. I am however a long time observer of great managers, Ferguson, Mourinho and not forgetting Brian Clough! But this time it feels like we have moved on – a lot. In fact both English and Italian teams have achieved their success by playing as teams, rather than a collection of highly skilled individuals. Both are led by low key managers focused on team unity and results over any individual glory for themselves or their players.
Both teams appear to be uniting their societies by showing respect. Whether it is the England team taking a knee as a mark of respect for something they believe in or donating their bonus’s to charity https://bit.ly/3hwCARI. Even the individual players within the team are showing social leadership, most obviously Marcus Rashford but he is not alone.
Why is this important?
Well if you haven’t grasped the symbolism of Football by now I really can’t help you. More specifically the comparisons with our political leaders is obvious, much as they hide behind the jingoism and spirit of ’66 – someone even persuaded the BBC to show a Churchill film last night. The sight of Boris Johnson wearing an England shirt under his suit, whilst Dominic Raab will only take a knee for ‘the Queen or his wife’ showing his lack of respect for his constituents and the society he purports to lead. Whether you choose to take a knee or not the symbolism of a hierarchical leadership model where you are subservient only to those ‘above’ you in your society is frankly outdated and doesn’t sit well with the team unity we see on the pitch.
What we are seeing on the pitch and the sidelines is a model of 21st century leadership.
The era of the egocentric leader is over. The last century was marked by this type of leader – Churchill of course is the obvious choice in this country but there are plenty to choose from good and bad. Yes there is much to criticise about Churchill and the debate rages as to his legacy it appears, much like the biblical quote, that it is in fact the love of Churchill that is the root of poor leadership. Leave him in the past where he belongs, but when 21st century leaders write books on him (Johnson) or have his bust in their office (Bush & Trump) they are looking backwards at a world which no longer exists rather than forwards to new challenges and opportunities.
The egocentric political leader waving his iconic hat is no different to the egocentric football manager in his equally iconic camel coat or tracksuit talking to the press about ‘his boys’. Perhaps thats why Southgate ditched the waistcoat before it had to start issuing its own press releases?
The challenges of the 21st Century from inequality to pandemics and the climate, cannot be ‘fought on the beaches’ by anyone however many St George Cross flags the papers print. All these challenges are defined by one thing – no one wins until everyone wins.
The challenges we face must be tackled by everyone. The climate, like a virus, does not care which country you live in or who you voted for, nor the colour of your skin or how you choose to identify your gender. The idea that the richer nations, or richer parts of society can protect themselves and ignore the rest of the planet is, as someone has said before me, about as useful as a non urinating end of a swimming pool.
If the 20th century began with a single shot fired in 1914, the 21st century is beginning now. Our reaction to a global pandemic in the next few years ant the leaders we choose will define the next hundred years.
We will have a glimpse of 21st century leadership on the pitch and the sidelines this evening, those watching may take a while to catch up.