The characteristics of the technical leader

Technical leaders must be effective communicators who can deliver important messages at different levels inside and outside of their organisation, says Steven Martens, FIFA Director of Global Football Development.

“As a technical leader you need to be able to communicate in all directions,” explains Martens. “You must communicate to the people that you are working with and are responsible for and you must communicate to the stakeholders that you want to give a better service to. You also need to communicate with your top management including the general secretary, president and board.”

Communicating effectively at all levels of the game can ensure a technical leader has the support and influence they need to be successful, explains Martens. “It is the combination of all these levels of communication that makes a difference,” he says. “When everybody is aware of the importance of how technical development can play a key role in developing the sport, the better the sport will become. In turn, there will be a better understanding and drive for all to participate in it.”

The varied audiences a modern technical leader must engage with is wide-ranging and requires knowledge and understanding in each area, says Jacquie Shipanga, Technical Director of the Namibia FA.

“In past, it might have been easy for technical directors to stay on the side of only technical elements of the role,” explains Shipanga. “But the modern technical director is faced with the possibilities of working with women's football, grassroots and youth football, talent development, sponsorship, as well as the board level of the organisation. Being able to manoeuvre through these various aspects is so important.”

Given the wide variety of people technical leaders must deal with, it is crucial for leaders to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and cultures.  “The important skill is how to also work with people, because we have to work with people of different backgrounds,” explains Shipanga. “You might need to sit down and consult with players about how they want to be approached or speak to women leaders in the game and ask them ‘how do they want their game to be run’?”

“In one day, you might need to speak to match officials, communicate with your president as well as being part of a sponsorship agreement or sponsorship deal.”

Ensuring your key messages are concise and well prepared can help persuade decision makers to support important technical projects, says Hansruedi Hasler, former Technical Director of the Switzerland FA and FIFA Technical Leadership expert.

“You have to convince people,” says Hasler. “That means you have to present your project as simply and clearly as possible, with good presentations for the board or executive committee.  At this level, you may not get 20 minutes to speak, instead you may only get two minutes. So, your presentation must be clear: What do you want to do? What will it bring? What does it cost? To discuss your proposal, the board must be clear on your project and understand how you want to go forward.”

Dealing effectively with a wide variety of people requires emotional intelligence and empathy. “For me, emotional intelligence is important because we are dealing with people,” says Lili Bi, Head of Women’s Football at AFC. “Each person comes from a different culture and background. You really need to put yourself into their shoes to have empathy when they are talking to you, explaining their situations and thinking.

As technical leaders we always need to have this open mind and keep learning and improving. Most important is to practice this emotional intelligence through our daily life, and then we can really work together more effectively with our audience.”

Another important area of knowledge for technical leaders is self-awareness. “I think the skills you need as a technical director in order to be effective, are similar to that of a player. It’s about knowing what your strengths are because the scope of the job is so massive,” says John McDermott, Technical Director of the English FA.

“In knowing what you are good at, and maybe knowing what you are not so good at as well, you can start to get people around you to try and complement that. This will result in a team or group of people that have got a varied skillset to be able to deal with the full scope of the role.

“I think that comes from having the ability to be introspective, to be self-aware, but also to be able to delegate some of the things that are not necessarily your strengths.”

Finally, all technical leaders must love football all the way from the grassroots to the international stage, says Hasler. “As a technical leader you have to love football. You have to love football in all its elements, from grassroots up to elite, from women's to men's. You have to love football because it gives you the motivation and energy to do to do this work.”