The rise of the Phoenix from the ashes is a wonderful story if it actually happened. Well, there was certainly some encouragement at the start of this 2012/13 season with the players making comments about the positive team culture and how wonderful the camaraderie was at the Wellington Phoenix FC squad.
Why did the wheels fall off? A significant part of their team success is Gareth Morgan, a very out-spoken individual, who some may say, has more dollars than sense. However, that would be harsh for such an intelligent man. Intelligent yes but his understanding of leadership alignment and organisational culture may be poor. Maybe Mouth Morgan could be a little unfair, as he is a strong PR machine!
His comments in December 2012 about wanting the team to playing a more attacking style are great PR. However, they were an example of poor leadership, as it seems obvious he was not aligned with coach Rick Herbert and his captain in their strategy. If the strategy was clear then the Captain Andrew Durante, would not have said they need to bring in new talent, while Mr Morgan was saying there is not going to be a complete overhaul of the squad!
It is common in business that leaders are not on the same page and that the strategy and actions are inconsistent with the goals. The end result is leaders that are not aligned, which leads to a confused team culture and reduced team performance.
As a leader do you wish to better align your expectations with the strategy and actions of the people you manage? I use the 1pageplan concept as a leadership coach to align all the leaders and their teams onto 1page.
What do you use to align and motivate your team?
