Even those with no interest in football whatsoever would not have escaped the news that Manchester United’s long-serving manager, Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement after 26 years at the helm. How do you follow a formidable, successful leader? It’s a dilemma that can lead to disaster if not managed correctly. It will make fascinating viewing from a business perspective to see how the transition is managed.

And if you are wary of taking your cue from the pampered world of football which is seemingly out of touch with the real world, it might interest you to know that Alex Ferguson’s leadership methods have been studied at Harvard University. His no-nonsense approach, attention to detail, loyalty to his players and staff and unrivalled success over a quarter of a century make him a prime candidate for study. He has always realised that no one person is bigger than the organisation and that a smooth succession is vital when planning for the future. One area we might not recommend you follow is the extra time Ferguson seemed to manage to have added to the end of a game that Manchester United were losing - so-called ‘Fergie Time’ – We think if you randomly started adding extra time on to the end of the work day with no notice your staff wouldn’t be too impressed!

At Buckinghamshire Business First we strive to bring all aspects of business development to our members, which is why we have been involved in and actively promoted several workshops and events centred around leadership. Our partner Buckinghamshire New University and members such as Thomas International and Elevate Associates have hosted leadership workshops in the past, and we have plans to hold more on the subject in the future.

One thing is for sure, strong leadership is vital no matter the state of the economy, and being able to motivate staff to work, and work hard, is one skill a leader must possess. The best managers lead by example, so when Alex Ferguson said years ago: “I think it’s important to work hard. Some people do not want to work but I want to continue working hard,” you can be sure that his players followed suit.