Lessons in Leadership from Gareth Southgate
I’m not a huge football fan, but having started reading Gareth Southgate’s “Dear England” book, I would highly recommend for anyone in a leadership role – or aspiring to be one. And you don’t need football knowledge to appreciate it!
I’ve only just started it, and it’s already packed with leadership lessons and insights, covering many of the wins, losses, and mistakes throughout his career.
One story that stands out to me so far:
The Mark Schwarzer decision
In his first management role at Middlesbrough FC, Southgate had to decide the future of Mark Schwarzer, his 36-year-old goalkeeper. On paper, the logic seemed clear: let him go, save money on a two-year contract, and replace him with younger, cheaper alternatives.
The result? Middlesbrough lost far more than a goalkeeper. They lost leadership, experience, and professionalism – qualities Southgate admits “didn’t have a line item on the spreadsheet.” The younger goalkeepers eventually left on free transfers anyway, and the season ended in relegation.
The twist: Schwarzer went on to play successfully at a high level for another five years.
Southgate reflects that he was thrust into leadership at the deep end without proper preparation or support – suddenly responsible for things that were critical to success, but he had no experience of. Things like spreadsheets, player transfers and stakeholder management – all felt overwhelming and he admits to often feeling completely out of his depth.
From my perspective, working with senior and emerging leaders, this story highlights three questions every leader and organisation should ask:
• How many high performers are promoted into leadership roles before they’re truly ready?
• What ongoing support, coaching or training is provided for anyone promoted into a more senior role to set them up for success?
• In our drive for efficiency, how often do we negatively assess experienced headcount primarily on cost, overlooking the intangible and harder-to-replace values and benefits?
The best decisions aren’t always found in the data; sometimes the most valuable qualities are the ones you can’t measure.
If you’re interested in leadership lessons from someone who has succeeded the hard way, I highly recommend giving “Dear England” a read – and use it to reflect on what might be invisible but priceless in your own teams.