If you follow me on Twitter, you’d have noticed, that I was at Wembley on the weekend. Sunday, Nottingham Forest played Huddersfield.. in the Championship Playoff Final. An opportunity to be promoted to the Premiership and moreso… the financial advantage of £170m.
But let’s take a step back.
In September 2021… this is how the league table looked…
An announcement was made by the club…
Nottingham Forest have sacked Chris Hughton after six defeats in their opening seven league games left the club bottom of the Championship with one point.
Having already overseen Forest’s worst start to a season in 108 years, Hughton’s final game in charge was a 2-0 loss to Middlesbrough at the City Ground on Wednesday.
Hughton out.
Cooper in.
And what a turnaround.
He changed a few things. And the result was, he brought the club to a Top 6 finish and moreso.. saw Forest beat the likes of Leicester and Arsenal in the FA Cup.
But how?
Well… there’s one key thing he’s done. And that’s using emotional intelligence.
What is Emotional Intelligence Bal?
What Steve Cooper has done is build belief into the team. He’s coached the players, had the right coaching staff with him, understand what the aims and objectives are, worked closely with the CEO, got the right players in the team (loans from other teams that strengthen the team)… but most important, built a purpose of belonging.
He had a bbq and invited the players, the staff, kids, everyone… it was a lovely day. Showed that the team is one big family.
Now don’t get me wrong… he’s tried things, and sometimes they haven’t worked out. Maybe not playing a particular player for a match which was lost. There’s learnings to be had. And it’s those learnings that make us stronger.
Below is a picture of Djed Spence. But focus on what is on the poster behind him…
On the poster behind him… are personal messages from his family.
It’s these small touches that build the connection.
It’s these small touches that build the togetherness.
Yes, they are all individuals – but together a team. That needs to function but bring their individual skills and contribution to make the whole team a success.
Everyone operates differently. But having empathy, helps tremendously.
Not only with the players. But with the supporters. The way Steve Cooper has interacted. Each week has been a sell-out at the City Ground.
This leadership can be taken from the football pitch to the large businesses and organisations, where leaders are trained and built to have emotional intelligence.
There’s a number of things that Steve did… both on and off the pitch, this is the one that really struck out for me, as one that others can take away and learn from.
Oh, and this is what the table was like at the end of the season…
(For those unaware… top two are automatically promoted… 3 played 6 and 4 played 5…. then, the winners of both played in the playoff final).
