He is 'arguably the most successful manager in the history of professional soccer'. Arguably? Humph. Anyway, he's been the subject of a study at Harvard Business School looking into his leadership style. And in connection with that he was invited there, so that students could see him in action. The story's here:
One key lesson is Ferguson's fine-tuned ability to relate to people. He connects with his wealthy players, but he brings that intense engagement to all of his interactions...
.....
"The part of the discussion from which I learned the most about myself was when they were discussing the balance between 'fear' and 'love' in my approach to managing people. If you look at my history, there's all this hype about hair dryers and anger and so on. But the students acknowledged another side to it, which is more apt in terms of how I have fostered relations with people and developed the team over the years. The reality is not always how the press portray it. I felt the students were quite accurate in terms of how they analyzed this aspect, questioning and recognizing this important dynamic of management."
(Via - and see also this tribute by Morris Sheftel.)
