So it seems that Manchester United won the English League soccer title over the weekend. It's timely then that I'd planned my second post on heroes (my first actual one on managers) to be about Alex Ferguson. [Unlike my fellow Singapore project colleague Stephen Palmer, I'm not a United fan but I am a huge admirer of their team coach.]

Back in 1986/87 I was working as a games developer for Ocean Software and their joint venture U.S. Gold. Ocean were based in Manchester, England. I mostly worked from home, flying or driving to Manchester perhaps one week per month. Alex Ferguson had just taken over as the manager of Manchester United, following his short spell as manager of the Scottish international side that played in the 1986 World Cup Finals. Ferguson was already an accomplished manager. He'd taken unfashionable Aberdeen to glory in European tournaments and won the Scottish League and other titles, as well as managing the national team. In some respects he didn't have much else to prove.

He was still living in Glasgow and commuting to Manchester by air. Presumably, coming home after the game on a Saturday and flying back on a Monday or Tuesday morning for team training and the following week's game. The staff of British Airways treated him like royalty. He was invisible. They'd keep a seat in the front row of the BAe1-11 jet (Americans can think MD-80) and "Fergie" would enter the plane and take his seat just before they closed the doors to push back and taxi.

So why is Ferguson one of my management heroes? Well first off there is longevity. In 21 years he has had only one job and he's been hugely successful at it. He's had this one job in a field which is not known for the longevity of management careers. This is partly a tribute to Ferguson himself and partly a tribute to his hiring manager - Martin Edwards, the Chairman of Manchester United at the time. Longevity and loyalty in management careers both by the individual and their management are to be admired.

The next aspect of Ferguson's career again is a tribute to the patience of Martin Edwards. After more than 3 years without winning a trophy, the fans wanted a new face on the coach's bench. But Edwards stuck by Ferguson telling people they had the right man for the job. And they did.

Another reason I admire Ferguson is that he manages prima-donnas all the time. The staff on his pay roll earn huge salaries - millions - at a very young age. Ferguson has the mental toughness to deal with this and to keep his players under control and focused.

Ferguson is also known for his success at bringing up youth players and grooming them for stardom and places in the regular 1st team. He's paid nothing to acquire talent like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. A true manager knows how to grow and nurture talent and Ferguson has repeatedly shown this ability over the years.

But the single most important reason I admire Ferguson is his ability to focus and make tough decisions about team selection and players. Often a player can be at the height of his fame and hugely popular with the fans, but Ferguson will see in training that the player has past his best. Perhaps running slower, perhaps lower in fitness or strength, or losing skill and accuracy due to lack of fitness, or perhaps issues off the field of play. Ferguson has never shied away from an unpopular decision if he felt it was right for the team's long term performance. He's stayed focus on keeping Manchester United a winning team, and after 21 years he's still doing it.

So, management hero #1, Sir Alex Ferguson. Technorati tag: Management, Alex+Ferguson, David+Anderson, Stephen+Palmer