Leicester City F.C was the wonder of the 2015-2016 The Premier League Season. Barely escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth in the previous season, they looked like one of those teams only marking time before falling right back. Football analysts could bet their lives on this. Even bookmakers gave a 5000/1 odds on The Foxes winning the title. I.e., a fan who places a $5 pre-season wager on The Foxes would be $36,000 richer when the season ends. Yes, it was that unlikely!
However, in the 48 weeks the tournament lasted, Leicester City Football Club City F.C pulled off one of the most significant shocks in sports history. More so, it was its first time winning the Premiership in its 132-year history. A team other than the big five — Manchester United, Chelsea Foot, Arsenal F.C, Manchester City Football Club City and Liverpool Football Club — dominated the game for the first time in two decades.
How did a team fresh out of relegation scale its way up the table to clinch one of Europe’s priciest trophies? The answer, studies show, lies in leadership.
The Foxes’ victory is similar to projects and what it takes to accomplish them. For one, winning the Premiership is a tedious project. The leadership style we find on a project will determine its outcome; success or failure. While some leadership styles can frustrate project teams , others can inspire and motivate them from “relegated” to “Premiership champions.”
Here are three leadership styles that make that replicable in project delivery environments.
1. Servant Leadership:
You’ve probably heard this more often than your name. It sounds like an oxymoron too. Servant leadership is a leadership style that emphasises the project team’s needs before the leader’s opinions. Like warmth accompanying sunlight, with this style comes integrity, empathy and attention to creating a supportive work environment.
This attribute was evident in The Foxes Manager, Claudio Ranieri, who, on assuming duty, said, “I have great admiration for those who build new tactical systems, but I always thought the most important thing a good coach must do is to build the team around the characteristics of his players.
“So I told the players that I trusted them and would speak very little of tactics.” By focusing on the well-being of project team members and empowering them to succeed, servant leaders can inspire their teams to work together toward project success.
2. Transformational Leadership:
A transformationalleadership style inspires and motivates project teams to achieve their full potential. This style is characterised by a keen focus on personal development, strong communication skills and the ability to set clear goals and rally the team around those goals.
A transformational leader sees beyond individual highflyers on the team. Instead, he rallies the strengths and weaknesses of each team member in a way that complements each other and reduces the weak points of the group.
This involves inspiring project team members to believe in themselves and their abilities so much that they focus on their strengths and have another team member cover their weaknesses. Like one tweep said after a Leicester win, “Never underestimate the value of a true team versus a collection of talented individuals.”
3. Visionary Leadership:
Visionary leadership creates a shared goal and inspires project teams to work together.
Leaders who play by this style have a clear vision for the project and an uncanny ability to communicate that vision effectively. This way, they create a supportive and collaborative work environment.
A vision is not clear simply because team members can understand it cognitively. A vision is clear when team members can see themselves in it on a personal level. This creates buy-in and inspires project teams to work together towards a shared goal.
Leadership style can make or mar project success. Therefore, projectmanagers who are servant, transformational and visionary leaders are better equipped to inspire project teams to drive project success.
