We’ve had some interesting resignations from football managers this year, and I’m sure they will be referenced across business schools for a while to come. Gareth Southgate’s is no exception.
In the first few lines of Southgate’s resignation statement, he talks about personal honour, pride, and gratitude. After that, it’s about everybody else.
That’s what a true orchestrator – my favourite metaphor for a leader – does. They create a space for others to blossom while understanding their role and how to play together.
Southgate expressed gratitude to his assistant coach and the team at St George’s Park, and he shared appreciation for the players he had the privilege of coaching.
Suppose you think about leaving a legacy as a leader. It’s not about you. In that case, it’s about everyone else who continues to go on.
All leaders should remember that their legacy isn’t about personal achievements but empowering others to succeed – under their own leadership and beyond.
There is an art to stepping down gracefully. Leaders in any field should focus on ensuring a smooth transition and continued support for their team and successor when stepping down.
Southgate seemed to take note of Jurgen Klopp in this respect, who asked fans to support Liverpool’s new manager when he left earlier this year.
Instead of celebrating his own achievements and celebrating the end of his tenure, Southgate asked us to continue supporting the England team and, by extension, their new leader.
Rather than resigning and leaving the field, he has prepared it for his successor – whoever they might be (perhaps even Klopp himself).
The intensity of scrutiny in football is unique. Teams face a rapid ‘reporting cycle’, creating pressure that most businesses don’t experience.
Not so long ago, fans threw drinks at Southgate. He has shown integrity by engaging empathetically with fan criticism while shielding his team from undue pressure and prioritising their psychological safety.
This demonstrates the importance of leaders absorbing external pressures to allow their teams to focus and perform. In a corporate context, this translates to leaders managing stakeholder expectations while protecting their teams from unnecessary stress.
The pressure of a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ that the team faced at Euro 2024 can lead to what my colleague Heidi Gardner calls the ‘performance paradox’.
Her research found that expert teams often grow more cautious as performance pressure mounts and revert to tried-and-true solutions. In other words, when all that matters is winning, we may be too focused on not losing.
Southgate said in his departing statement that he set out to improve English football. It’s beyond contention that he has achieved it.
He has created a space where his legacy is one of success because the Football Association and the national team are in a much better place than when he took over eight years ago.
Defining success only by titles won is very binary. Influential leaders should not measure their success just by immediate achievements but by their long-term positive impact on their organisation and industry.
Tactics aside, the sporting world always throws up interesting leadership lessons. In Southgate’s case, I predict we’ll be analysing his leadership style for years to come.
Michael Smets is professor of management at the Said Business School, University of Oxford.
