Coach like Jingles, Manage like Fergie

By Xolani Mngoma

The world is in need of clear direction and positive leadership. Coach like Jingles and Manage like Fergie reflects on the qualities a leader in a coaching and management environment needs to succeed. This book does not only focus on leaders in the game of soccer but leaders in all spheres of life. Each chapter explores a certain characteristic that a leader needs to have in order to succeed on his or her journey.

Coach Pitso and Sir Ferguson have both displayed great attributes in their leadership and have shown that they can achieve anything, which is why people believe in them. They have shown great confidence, humility, authenticity and adherence to their principles and values in most of the things they do. As such it was easy for the author to choose them as examples and follow their journey for over seven years, allowing him to write about something close to his heart; leadership.

In Coach like Jingles and Manage like Fergie readers will take a journey of unpacking how the two greats built their success and achievements by being leaders that lead for life, and lead without compromise.

New managers, young captains, potential political faces and community or religious leaders: we are all on a journey to lead others to create a better environment. Sometimes it gets tough and we may be tempted to walk away from our roles but as you read Coach like Jingles and Manage like Fergie, you will understand that those phases are just part of the journey and that building attributes like being calm in chaos, confidence and maintaining strong values, are possible and we can learn from the greats and grow great ourselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xolani Mngoma
• Release date: Sep 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005148478

Book preview

Coach Like Jingles, Manage like Fergie

COACH LIKE JINGLES, MANAGE LIKE FERGIE

Experience Effective Leadership

Xolani Mngoma

Copyright © 2021 Xolani Mngoma

Published by Xolani Mngoma Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Xolani Mngoma using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Andrew Pender-Smith for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.org

E-mail: [e-mail]

Xolani Mngoma

[e-mail]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preface

1. Coaching and Managing

2. Secure Your Field Like Jingles and Fergie

3. Team up Like Fergie and Jingles

4. Manage and Coach for Life, not Just for a Reason or a Season

5. Profile a Winning Team like Fergie and Jingles

6. Awaken your team’s sense of purpose like Sir Fergie and Coach Jingles

7. Like Fergie and Jingles, recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency

8. Draw a Picture of Success Like Fergie and Jingles

9. Be Manageable and Coach-able Like Fergie and Jingles

10. Manage and Coach with the Correct Beliefs

11. Manage and Coach with Empathy

12. Managing and Coaching as a Servant of Leadership

13. Create a Board of Dreams like Fergie and Jingles

14. Be the Leader that Teaches

15. Curious Leadership

16. Leave a Legacy while Managing and Coaching

Introduction

Soccer is one of the most watched sports in the world, with media, supporters, and business all being part of the game. One of the unexpressed parts of this collaboration is the strength that the sport of soccer gives to developing leaders as it contributes to the concept of leadership. The sport has produced high profile personalities who have done well, or who are doing well, in their positions because of the way in which they demonstrate leadership, which was developed during their careers in the sport of soccer. Personalities such as Coach Jingles and Sir Fergie have become, in my view, leaders that have developed so many players, not only through improving their abilities in soccer, but also helped them to be respectable human beings in society.

In the game of soccer, a coach and a manager have become two of the most important positions to sustain and drive the objectives of the team. People appointed to these positions would have demonstrated capabilities in coaching and managing but, most of all, I believe that they would have been able to convince people about their leadership abilities through previous experience. Power, fame and intellectual development are just some of the gains that you get through the positions of being a coach or manager, but what really interests me when it comes to the development of a coach and manager is the need to have the character to lead and influence beyond the game. Good credibility is at the very essence of what a coach and a manager need to have.

Soccer is considered by many, including myself, as being one of the best if not the most frequently watched sports, and there are many people who are either directly or indirectly associated with the game. The association is enormous and we have seen without doubt how it is able to unite communities and countries when needs be. The game has on many occasions been used to convey messages of solidarity on issues that may be affecting the sport. This, to me, simply means that people love the game, whether they understand or know it, but beyond the field there are many gains that we as people can benefit from because of our association with the game. I have expanded my interest in the game by examining the leadership part of the game and looked at the lessons that personalities in the game afford to young people and the world in its entirety.

I wrote this book as a resource aimed at expanding on all the leadership books I have read and have been written in the world. To demonstrate two powerful profiles in the game of soccer that have demonstrated leadership in the areas of expertize through coaching and managing teams to success. COACH LIKE JINGLES, MANAGE LIKE FERGIE, is a book that puts emphasis on the fact that success is achieved through great leadership. In the game of soccer successful teams that are known around the world have achieved through great leadership that is demonstrated by coaches and managers. Coach Pitso and Sir Alex are powerful personalities in their countries, continents and the world. The two personalities have grown in leaps and bound in their careers and their success is well documented.

Their success, in my opinion, has come through a demonstration of great leadership in coaching and managing teams they have worked with. The book isn’t about the two personalities, but about how they put their leadership abilites into driving successful teams. These abilities that have been demonstrated by the two personalities may assist young aspiring leaders in all their different spheres of life.

A strong, decent character is the most powerful force a leader can cultivate to protect leadership. Character will enable you to be successful personally and professionally as you carry personal goals and team visions in life.

As you go through the chapters of this book, I have looked at the different methods, habits and values that these two great leaders have employed over the years of their leadership and through that I have tried to combine those traits into how we, as aspiring leaders, can use these traits in our leadership journeys. Conversations about leadership are some of the most common discussions in our modern times, and in my view it confirms the fact that most of us understand how critical good leadership is to our lives.

Preface

I really can’t believe that I have written my first book. This has been a dream of mine for many years but, until now, I have not believed enough in myself to be able to sit down and get going with words flowing from my mind. I have always been someone with ideas, but I doubted myself when it came to putting down words and constructing sentences that would satisfy the reader.

Although the lockdown period was one of the most unfortunate times in our lives, it was during those days that I started planning, and eventually writing, this book. I remember waking up in the early mornings and thinking about something and then having to get up and write the chapters. I am grateful for life and all that it has afforded me to be able to write COACH LIKE JINGLES, MANAGE LIKE FERGIE. When I read the content that I have been able to put into my book, I must say that I am proud of myself at being able to express myself on the topic of leadership to my audience. I know theres so much written about leadership, but I trust and hope that through your support we will be able to explore more on this topic as it is critical to our lives.

I’ve came across so many people in my life that I looked up to, some of whose significant role in my life I didn’t understand until I started writing the book. I realised that each contributor to my life is or was someone leading a particular aspect of my life. I can safely say that those people were and are direct contributors to my leadership journey.

I believe that the belief that you cannot be an all-round leader will be put to rest in this book, but this is just my opinion. Each and every environment has their own people to lead from where a leader is chosen or emerges to lead them. COACH LIKE JINGLES, MANAGE LIKE FERGIE shows the reader that you need to lead at what you are good at in order to bring out the best.

In my life I have seen both Men and Women demonstrating great leadership and I guess that’s why I grew so fond of the concept. I think one of the many problems that we face as individuals and as a country is the lack of great leadership. I hope this book will just add value, along with other books, in emphasising the great importance of leadership.

Xolani Mngoma

In my life I’ve been tasked to lead in few areas, and I realised that no matter how much theory you can get about leadership, nothing beats leading practically.

My first leadership role was at church. I formed part of the provincial leadership. I didn’t pay much attention on my role, but I would say it contributed in some of the characters that I have today. I wouldn’t really say I was great leader then, but I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given to be able to taste the environment of leading.

I was also promoted to a middle management position by my previous employer at the age of 27 years. Although I had a small team to manage, I gained a lot of experience on that journey. I can’t really measure my journey even at that time, but I can confidently say that I impacted positively on my team as we were able to achieve great things as a team. What also assisted me was the fact that I had great leaders in my team, who really made sure that my leadership journey was a success. I would just like to single out Mr Smith as one of the best team members in my team. He was the most influential and, at times, was the one that made sure things were done. It is no wonder that somewhere along the line he became a leader to me, and I was able to return the favour of being the pusher of his journey as a leader to success. As a young leader I learnt from that point about the importance of having the best within your team.

Later on in my career I was then promoted to be an operations manager, which entailed leading a huge team. That journey in leadership was full of experiences. I had to deal with people who felt they were better than me, and could do a better job than me, but I pushed on and persevered and made sure that the team got the work done to the required standards. It is through the journey that I understood how important team management is when you are leader. As a young leader I am proud of the journey. I still get my team calling me and confirming how great a leader I was. I am full aware of the improvements that I needed to do, but I was grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead.

Currently I am one of the leaders at church and Wow! what an experience that is. The most exciting part about my current leading experience, is that I am now able to lead after having gathered plenty of experience and that I am leading a great team. In my next book I promise to expand on my current leadership role as an Evangelist.

Boitumelo