Stielike leadership

Sir Alex Ferguson, 74, of Britain is a familiar name to Koreans, even to those who are not big soccer fans. He is a former coach of the Manchester United, for which Korean striker Park Ji-sung played, and is considered one of the world’s best soccer leaders. He served as the head coach of the Manchester United from 1986 through 2013, and led the team to the championship on 38 occasions in major leagues, including the English Premier League.

Ferguson was named the "World`s Best Coaches of the 21st Century" last year. But he got a nickname of "hair dryer," as the angry coach approached players so closely and shouted so loudly that he effectively spit out saliva on the face of players. People have different views on his personality, but no one questions his outstanding leadership. He made Manchester United players feel that they are special, and enabled the players to display their potential to the maximum. The Harvard Business School signed a long-term contract last year to invite him as a visiting professor to enable students to learn "Ferguson leadership."

Just as Ferguson did, a great leader only demonstrates his or her capacity through the outcome. Coach Uli Stielike, who is leading the Korean national team, is drawing attention through "winning soccer" these days. He led Team Korea to the final at the Asian Cup, which is taking place in Sydney, Australia, just five months after taking the helm. The team has advanced to the final of the event for the first time in 27 years. As he attracted soccer fans by using existing Korean players, Stielike leadership is resonating to the public all the more.

Just as Coach Guus Hiddink had Park Ji-sung during the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan, Coach Stielike surprisingly recruited Lee Jeong-yeop, a relatively less known player from the military athletic team, Sangmu. Witnessing achievements that have been made through discovery of players with strong potential that overcame personal connection and factional divide in the soccer community, people have come to know that how big change the leader’s insight and choice can bring about. "People skill" is an essential quality required for a leader, be it the coach of a soccer team, or the chief executive of a company or country. This refers to technique with which the leader accurately judges and deals with people.

Ferguson once said that the most effective preparation for a match is to examine and single out the players who are capable of displaying the best playing capacity. This is a piece of advice that would be useful not only to Harvard students but also to a national president, who has failed to solidify the organization of his or her own supporters due to problems with personnel reform or other reasons.