What trust leaders can learn from premier league football managers - Managing a team, navigating change & finding your purpose

Sep 18, 2024

Phil Denton, a former headteacher and leadership coach, delves into the profound parallels between education and Premier League football management. He shares insights sparked by a chance encounter with football manager Micky Mellon, leading to his book on leadership. Denton emphasizes the importance of personal purpose in leadership roles and discusses building trust within teams. He offers practical advice for educators, highlighting recruitment strategies and the need for flexibility in a changing work environment, all while navigating the complexities of leadership.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Leadership Lessons from the Pitch

03:08 • 3min

Building Purpose and Trust in Leadership

06:18 • 19min

Building a Supportive Environment for Staff Retention in Education

25:35 • 5min

Balancing Flexibility and Leadership in Education

30:53 • 7min

Challenges and Motivations in the Education Sector

38:06 • 2min

Reflections on Leadership and Future Prospects

39:43 • 3min

In this episode, we chat with Phil Denton, former headteacher, leadership coach, and author of The First 100 Days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses, for an engaging discussion on leadership and the fascinating parallels between education and football management.

Phil shares the story of how his chance meeting with former Tranmere Rovers and Dundee United manager Micky Mellon sparked the idea for his book. What began as a casual conversation between a school headteacher and a football manager soon turned into a collaborative journey of exploration. Together, they met with top football managers, consulted experts, and explored the psychological, sociological, and philosophical principles behind effective leadership.

Phil reflects on his own experience as a new headteacher in Liverpool, comparing the lessons he learned to those shared by some of the Premier League’s top managers, including David Moyes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Pep Guardiola. He emphasises the importance of discovering your personal leadership purpose and offers actionable advice on how to achieve and sustain success.

For more on how The Key can support your trust, visit key.sc/trustsupport or get in touch with our team here: key.sc/trust-enquiry.

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To find out more about Phil, visit his LinkedIn profile.

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Ellie Potter, Content Marketing and Social Media Lead at The Key

Phil Denton, former headteacher, leadership coach, and author of The First 100 Days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses.

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All views expressed in this episode are the guest's own. Any mention of commercial providers, resources or products is on the guest’s recommendation and should not be considered an endorsement by The Key.

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