Jahangir Hasanzade: How to stop thinking like a former player and start thinking like a technical director

For 19 years, the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan's (AFFA) Technical Director, Jahangir Hasanzade, was a professional goalkeeper in the Azerbaijan Premier League and the national team. His long professional career also took him abroad to play at the top level in Ukraine.  

When his playing career ended in 2014, the transition from pitch to the role of Technical Director, via a spell as Head of Grassroots for AFFA, proved to be a a challenging one.  "When I finished my playing career, I was an assistant coach at Manchester United Soccer School in Baku. I was focusing on goalkeeping but learning to be a head coach," explains Hasanzade. "After three or four years of coaching, our federation invited me to be the head of the grassroots department. It was a big challenge for me because former players don't like to sit in one place. They want to be on the pitch." 

After a spell as head of grassroots, Hasanzade became a Technical Director. Learning how to think like an executive, rather than a former player has been a challenge Hasanzade has had to work at. "As a professional player you are spending all this time on the pitch with a lot of activity and preparation. Now, during the day I probably sit down for around 5 hours. It is a big lifestyle change for me. 

"I've also had to start thinking differently, less like a player and more like a technical director. The role is strategic and operational management, as the Technical Director you have to be thinking more to the long-term because football cannot be changed in a few days or even a few years. To build something you have to go step-by-step and you have to grow."

Hasanzade's wide-ranging current role requires balancing a large number of strategic priorities.  "As a Technical Director, I have to think about every football situation in our country: professional players, amateur players, young players, adults and women's football.  

"The role of Technical Director is more like a manager in our federation; I must control all national teams, preparation of training sessions, events and camps. I also look after our coach education, because that is key to everything we do.  Finally, I also look after all former professional players who want to be involved in football. Everybody comes to me and asks for help." 

The importance of patience and listening  

Listening instead of talking and asking effective questions are two skills currently helping Hasanzade navigate the many challenges he faces.  "First of all, I learned to listen," he says. "Because in this role I work with many persons: coaches, assistant coaches, managers, kit managers or someone from the Federation Accounting Department. So, I must listen to them and I must have a little patience when listening. I need to find out what they want from my side and then ask the right questions. Because if I don't know what they want, how can I help them?" 

Having difficult conversations and making effective recommendations are other skills Hasanzade has learned since taking the job.  "All the coaches I work with want the very best environment for their team. But it is a challenge to give everybody what they want, so I have to make recommendations. Sometimes coaches want more than I give them, so some of the time I must say no." 

Hasanzade explains that he must say 'no' in a way that still keeps his staff members onside and working towards a united vision. "Our football is like family," he explains. "Sometimes I cannot say a concrete 'no'. We are all part of the football family and we are trying to build a new future together. We want a future which is better than now. To do that, we need some people who are thinking like me but also those that aren't. So, we need different points of view."