Gary Bailey - Succeed Under Pressure: Converting Football Lessons Into Business Success

CONVERTING FOOTBALL LESSONS INTO BUSINESS SUCCESS

GARY BAILEY

WITH RAKESH SONDHI

Published by Zebra Press
an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd
Company Reg. No. 1966/003153/07
Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Road, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001
PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

www.zebrapress.co.za

First published 2012

Publication Zebra Press 2012
Text Gary Bailey and Rakesh Sondhi

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

ISBN: 978 1 77022 478 0 (print)
ISBN: 978 1 77022 479 7 (ePub)
ISBN: 978 1 77022 480 3 (PDF)

I would like to thank Gary and Dan Nicholl for being such a great inspiration in the writing of this book. Gary and I had been discussing this concept for a number of years, and Gary provided great focus in ensuring that we had a good end-product. Dans writing and ideas added a unique element that Gary and I would have struggled to deliver.

I would also like to thank Thomas Scarth, our researcher, for key aspects of the book. Thomas dedicated a huge amount of time just after having graduated in Sports Science and Management from Nottingham Trent University. He showed an excellent attitude and was a valuable member of the team.

No acknowledgements page would be the same without a show of gratitude to the people who inspire me on a daily basis: my family my wife Suman, my children Arjun and Nikisha, and our parents. They are my life!

For 50 years I have followed what is, for me, the greatest team in the world. They make a bad week good, or a good week bad, depending on the results, but my passion for Manchester United will always be with me and shape my thoughts. I am grateful for having been alive during one of the greatest periods of the teams history and to have had an opportunity to study a true legend such as Sir Alex Ferguson.

RAKESH SONDHI

Is it really more than three decades since a wide-eyed kid arrived in Manchester hoping to play football? It seems like only yesterday, but all the memories that came flooding back during the writing of this book made me realise that it must have been a long time ago, or I would not have managed to squeeze so much in! The creative process has been a nostalgic one, and it has reminded me of how grateful I am for the career Ive had. Its also reminded me of the lessons Ive learnt, and for that I thank Sir Alex Ferguson, not just for his kind words in the Foreword or for the time I played under him, but also for the example he has set as a manager and leader.

Professor Rakesh Sondhi would have played for England if passion alone were the prerequisite. Hes a superstar in academic circles, however, and his advice and counsel have been invaluable, both in my studies under his guidance and in the writing of this book. His insight is refreshing, accurate and inspiring, and this book would not have happened without him. Thank you, Rocky, for everything.

I first met Dan Nicholl when we worked together with Marcel Desailly and Arsne Wenger during the World Cup in 2010. He is a fine writer and his style of writing is one I greatly admire. He strung together my anecdotes and insights with Rockys academic understanding to give you the finished product. Thanks to David Williams for casting a final glance over proceedings, and to Zebra Press (an imprint of Random House Struik) for their immense help in getting the book to look so professional

Id also like to thank SuperSport for making it possible for me to work on TV for the last 20 years and stay close to the game I love; and to also enjoy the company of many other passionate exfootballers.

A huge thank you to my children, Lara, Jenna, Ross and stepson Luke, who continue to light up my life and mean more than an FA Cup medal or an away win at Anfield ever could; and to Michelle, for coming off the bench early in the second half of the life of Gary Bailey, and having such a magical impact.

And finally to my dad Roy for the love that resulted in many committed hours of coaching, which ultimately provided me with the solid goalkeeping skills that enabled me to play for the greatest club in the world.

GARY BAILEY

It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword to a book from one of my former players, Gary Bailey and not an autobiography, as is usually the case, but a book on leadership and business that engages, stimulates and offers genuine insight from a football perspective. And all this from a goalkeeper!

Goalkeepers are usually the crazy members of a football team, but while Gary had his moments (as I dont need to remind him!), he was a calm, focused, determined servant of United, and a player I was sad not to have had at Old Trafford with me for a little longer. He is remembered fondly by United fans, and his passion for the club shines through in this book, which takes its cue from the challenges and opportunities of football and translates them into principles for the business leader.

The parallels between football and business are extensive, as Gary and his co-author, Professor Rakesh Sondhi, have outlined: we have matches to win and fans to keep happy, while businesses have products to sell and clients to satisfy. And with football itself having become one of the largest, most vibrant industries in the world, the examples and inspiration that the game provides for anyone involved in the broader business environment makes this particular read an invaluable companion.

Im honoured that Gary and Rakesh have chosen to take my time at Old Trafford as an example of leadership under pressure. Im also pleased to see the inclusion of my old friend and managerial sparring partner Bobby Robson in these pages. Bobby was a great leader, and the breadth of his success can be appreciated all the more in the context of this book.

The pages that follow offer simple, concise points based on common sense and experience. This falls in line with the management style Ive always looked to embrace. Ive been in football long enough to understand that the challenges vary but the pressure remains consistent; those in the business world experience a similar environment and will appreciate the nature of the leadership pressures that result.

Few sportspeople experience the consistent pressure of a top-flight professional goalkeeper. Gary Bailey has over 370 games for United behind him, and also an MBA.

Professor Rakesh Sondhi is a most able lieutenant in guiding you through the art of leadership under pressure. Ive enjoyed the read, and although Ill not tell Gary, I might even have learnt a thing or two along the way. I have no doubt that you will as well.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Books by footballers, by and large, fall into two broad categories. The first is the racy, detailed biography, the first instalment of which is usually published when the player in question is barely out of his teens. It details romantic entanglements with lingerie models, the hardship of getting by on 50 000 a week, and the occasional game of football. The second is a more authentic tome: the reflective piece that looks back on an entire football career, tracing the highs and lows that a lengthy devotion to the professional game will inevitably produce.