Learning Legendary Managers’ Instinctive Leadership with CEO of the League Managers Association, Richard Bevan #33
The sheer scale on which the beautiful game makes its social impact is almost incomprehensible, and coordinating football managers to help make this impact is the impressive job of the LMA’s CEO, Richard Bevan.
With 11 successful years as chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association, it’s no surprise that monumental names like Sir Alex Ferguson played a part in encouraging Richard to take up his current, prolific tenure.
In this week’s fascinating episode of Extrology, we touch on coaching being the ‘Golden Thread’ that applies to sport & business, the instinctive leadership behind some of the LMA’s hugely influential campaigns around dementia & suicide, and Richard’s impressive array of sporting experiences in football, cricket, golf and rallying.
Lee and richard discuss:
Coaching being the ‘Golden Thread’ in sport and business alike
Sport’s unique ability to mobilise quickly for charitable causes
The value of instinct inherent to a football manager which translates to any leadership
Influential lessons from sporting giants like Sir Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Guus Hiddink and Nassar Hussein
Links & references:
Lee Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecooperrecruiter/
Richard Bevan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bevan-8308569/
League Managers Association: https://leaguemanagers.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/league-managers-association/
https://www.instagram.com/leaguemanagersassociation/
Sport United Against Dementia: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/events-and-fundraising/sport-united-against-dementia-suad
Get in touch: lee@extrology.com
Episode highlights:
“People don't really understand how big sport actually is. I think it's in the top 10 of employers in Britain, it's a massive part of our life, and perhaps careers in sport should be better structured in advising youngsters how to get into sport, which is a question I get asked every week.” - 7:25 - Richard Bevan
“When I found out that the professional cricketer had no temporary or permanent disablement insurance, I decided to do something about it. The PCA in those days, although it had great history back to 1966, had no employees or money. I knew the chief executive of England & Wales’ Cricket Board and I knocked on his door to push for funds. But in the end, I had to raise the money through industry and sponsorship and that's how I started working in the PCA.” - 10:10 - Richard Bevan
“Having worked in football and met the likes of Gerard Houllier, a clear vision is something that I think I've always focused on, as well as the simple things around just working hard and making sure that you tick all the right boxes. Recruitment is probably, in sport and in business, the most important thing, and if you get that wrong, you won't achieve what you're looking to do.” - 16:25 - Richard Bevan
“In the heat of a moment, a great leader has to think clearly enough to make tactical changes. Sports people on the pitch and in the technical areas are doing that all the time, whereas our business leaders tend to wait till they have all the information. Covid has forced our businesses, forced our communities, and forced our sports to make instinctive decisions with only half the information.” - 22:30 - Richard Bevan
“Football was always a big part of my life growing up, watching and playing amateur sports. But when Howard Wilkinson and Alex Ferguson tell you that you're now working for the LMA, that's exactly what you're going to do. That was pretty much it.” - 27:30 - Richard Bevan
“I think Covid has really helped us make two or three steps up in the way that we operate for the benefit of the most important stakeholders, the fans. The understanding of the fans’ role in the game has been something that the clubs and the administrators have had to really delve into and understand much deeper, as things like the Super League showed us.” - 36:15 - Richard Bevan
“Cricket’s response to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia was my first experience of how sport can wipe through the politics, the red tape, and within a matter of hours and days plan something that could affect many millions of people and do some amazing work. All sports should get a lot of credit for the work they do in supporting so many charities. That's something I think the industry should be really proud of.” - 44:40 - Richard Bevan
“When I introduce people to the role of the manager, and the many facets of the job - be that leadership management, tactics, coaching, analytics, psychology, physiology, biomechanics, medical etc - the biggest learning from teams and managers and my years in in work has been not to do it on your own. That's something that I look not to individuals, but to teams of individuals, for how they solve problems, achieve objectives, and deliver, whether it's a business goal or a sporting goal.” - 50:55 - Richard Bevan
“If I was to see a 21 year old Richard Bevan looking at me, I would tell him to be more patient. I would tell him, take time to smell the grass, not to panic when things go wrong, take a step back, and to always bring your boldest self to whatever the challenge might be.” - 1:00:50 - Richard Bevan
Extrology is sponsored by Progresso Talent Partners who for more than 25 years have successfully delivered interim and permanent leadership talent to transform businesses and to hire the talent you need to enable your business to thrive: https://www.progressotalent.com/