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• tonydorigo
• Blog
• March 5, 2025

Academy Footballers

𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

Last week, I was delighted to be invited to speak to the Harrogate Town Academy players, who are looked after by my former Chelsea teammate Kevin Wilson.

I relayed my personal story, including the ups and downs and essential lessons learnt along the way.

For young academy footballers, the journey to professional football represents one of life’s most challenging crossroads.

With thousands of talented players in academies worldwide, the statistics regarding success rates are sobering: Only 4% of players in a Premier League Academy and fewer than 1% overall become professional footballers. Consequently, it is essential to understand the various pathways that are available.

𝟭. 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻
Many successful academies now emphasize dual career pathways, combining football development with academic studies. This approach ensures players have alternatives if professional football doesn’t materialize.

𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀
Lower leagues, foreign leagues, and semi-professional football offer viable routes into the professional game. Many players have successfully rebuilt their careers through these channels.

𝟯. 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀-𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀
The football industry offers numerous career opportunities beyond playing: coaching, sports science, physiotherapy, and performance analysis are increasingly popular choices for former academy players.

𝟰. 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁
Professional clubs now recognize the importance of psychological support during these transitional periods, helping young players cope with both success and setbacks.

However, the skills developed during the academy years—discipline, teamwork, and resilience—are valuable in any career path.

I wish them well in their future careers, whether in professional football or in the business workplace.

#𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 #𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 #𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• March 3, 2025

Turning a Teams Fortunes

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘀 – 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹

Last night, I commentated for TNT Sports on AC Milan vs Lazio – Milan lost at home 2-1, and the lack of confidence was there for all to see.

Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed numerous teams facing confidence crises, both in football and business.

The principles of rebuilding team spirit and performance remain remarkably similar across both domains.

When confidence is low, the first step is always to return to fundamentals.

In football, this means focusing on basic passing, movement, and positioning. In business, it’s about revisiting core processes and key performance indicators.

During challenging periods, whether at Leeds United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, or with the England national team, we would dedicate entire sessions to these basics, rebuilding our foundation step by step.

The role of leadership becomes crucial during these times. Just as a manager and captain must maintain composure under pressure, business leaders must demonstrate unwavering belief in their team’s abilities.

Small wins become essential – in football, this might mean celebrating clean sheets, even for 45 minutes, before focusing on scoring; in business, it could be acknowledging small improvements in customer satisfaction before targeting larger goals.

Communication patterns need adjustment during low-confidence periods. At Leeds, our manager, Howard Wilkinson, would break down complex tactical instructions into smaller, achievable tasks.

Similarly, business leaders should simplify objectives, making them more digestible and less overwhelming for their teams.

Team selection also plays a vital role. Sometimes, introducing fresh faces – whether new signings in football or new team members in business – can inject energy and optimism. However, experience shows that maintaining a core group of reliable performers helps stabilize the team during turbulent times.

The training ground atmosphere, like the office environment, needs careful management. We found that mixing intense, focused sessions with lighter, team-building activities helped maintain morale while improving performance. Ok, maybe our team-building activities went a little too far….! 🙂

This balance between serious work and positive energy is equally vital in a business context.

What’s your strategy for rebuilding confidence in your team?

#𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 #𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 #𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• February 27, 2025

Performing Under Extreme Pressure

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲!

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝖫𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗌 𝖴𝗇𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗇 𝗈𝗋𝗀𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗌𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖺𝗀𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺 𝗀𝗈𝖺𝗅 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁, 𝗒𝖾𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖼𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗂𝗇 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁 𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌.

𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾.

𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋: 𝖥𝖾𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗋, 𝖭𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗅, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖣𝗃𝗈𝗄𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖼. 𝖳𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝗈𝗇 𝟧𝟥%+ 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝖽—𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝟨𝟢%, 𝟨𝟧%, 𝗈𝗋 𝟩𝟢%, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝟧𝟢%. 𝖲𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝗈 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍? 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍; 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖺𝗋𝖾𝖽.

𝖲𝗈, 𝗂𝗇 𝖡𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗈𝗋 𝖲𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗌, 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖽𝗈 𝖨 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾?

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸

𝖵𝗂𝖾𝗐 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗌

𝖴𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗍

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

𝖲𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖥𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌

𝖳𝖺𝗅𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗋𝖾 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 – 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗎𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗑𝗂𝖾𝗍𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌.

𝖴𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗇 𝗈𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇.

𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝖣𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗉 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝖿𝗅𝖾𝗑𝗂𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾 𝗎𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

𝖠𝗏𝗈𝗂𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 “𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄” 𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗀𝗀𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿-𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗈𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝖪𝖾𝖾𝗉 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 – 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖽𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗈𝗋𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗅𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾-𝗈𝗋-𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝖼𝖾𝗇𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗌.

𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖾𝗅 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗀𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗍 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁

𝖨𝗇 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌, 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆:

𝖳𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌

𝖡𝗈𝗌𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌

𝖯𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: 𝖧𝖺𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗂𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 – 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖽𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗈𝗉 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾.

𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗀𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝖾𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗄𝖾𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗁𝗇𝗂𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝗏𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 – 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁.

#𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 #𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• February 26, 2025

Burj Khalifa Challenge

My Burj Khalifa Climb Challenge

I have teamed up with the incredible Rob Northfield for his 2025 fundraising adventure for Henshaw’s charity.

When talking to Rob about his desire to raise more money for a charity close to his heart, he announced he wanted to improve on his previous 3-hour Stairmaster challenge. He wanted the challenge to be bigger and better than ever!

So, why not name the challenge after the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai? However, I didn’t expect him to attempt to do it on the Stairmaster five times in a row non-stop! Ouch!

I remember standing on the roadside of the Burj Khalifa, feeling tired and light-headed just looking up at it! I hadn’t even taken a step 😂

I will be giving Rob plenty of motivation, support, and encouragement in attempting to climb non-stop 1272 floors on the toughest piece of equipment in the Gym, the dreaded 😫 Stairmaster !

Please follow our journey, join it, and support where you can. I’ll keep checking on Rob to see how his training is going, and I’ll post updates on his incredible charitable adventure along the way.

More info to come, stay tuned 👊

#Henshaws #BurjKhalifaClimbChallenge #Charity

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• February 21, 2025

Managerial Greats

Managerial Greats – What’s Their Style?

In football and business, every leader possesses a unique management style shaped by their experiences and personality. Knowing which style best suits each challenge is more important than ever for effective leadership.

What are the various management styles, and how do great managers fit into them? How flexible are they in adjusting their style to suit different situations? I should mention that we don’t strictly (100%) align with one type but instead broadly lean towards one of the following:

The three broad leadership styles are:

• Autocratic – Decisions are made solely by the manager with little or no input from employees
• Democratic – Involves team members in decision-making, promoting a sense of ownership and collective responsibility.
• Laissez-faire – Managers offer minimal direct supervision, allowing employees significant autonomy in how they do their work.

Some Leadership models break the above categories into more detailed, specific approaches. There are as many as 8-10 different types. The key takeaway is that effective management often involves blending multiple styles. The context—industry, team dynamics, and specific challenges—determines the best approach in any situation.

By comprehending these different management styles, leaders can more effectively select and combine approaches to steer their teams towards success.

As for the managers in the picture, along with one or two others, I’m going as follows:

Autocratic – Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho

Democratic – Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp

Laissez-Faire – Arsene Wenger, Kevin Keegan

Concerning Carlo Ancelotti, he’s the one I found most difficult to pigeonhole, or maybe he’s the one who combines styles more than the others? What are your thoughts?

What type of leader are you?

#Leadership #Teamwork

• tonydorigo
• Blog
• February 19, 2025

Emotional Control in Leadership

The Importance of Emotional Control in Leadership

On Monday night, Leeds United scored a 95th-minute winner at Elland Road in one of the season’s biggest games to return to the top of the championship. Cue pandemonium in the stands, on the gantry (another squealing co-comm moment added to my showreel!) and on the touchline. A sporting moment to saviour.

It was wonderful to witness the display of emotion, and those feelings are undoubtedly amplified in sports. This got me thinking: How does emotion fit into leadership?

Emotional control is a crucial component of effective leadership. It involves the capacity to manage one’s emotions, especially in difficult situations. Leaders who demonstrate emotional control can maintain effectiveness even in stressful or adverse circumstances.

Daniel Farke, the manager of Leeds United, demonstrates excellent emotional control amidst the highs and lows of professional football. Whether he wins, loses, or draws, he can be relied upon to provide a balanced and positive example for his team.

A fundamental principle is that when you react, you allow others to control you; when you respond, you keep control.

Leaders must develop the ability to regulate emotions to build a strong workplace climate and motivate employees. 

These skills can be learned and developed; leaders should focus on:

• Developing self-awareness
• Practicing emotional regulation
• Understanding the impact of their emotional displays on others
• Maintaining effectiveness under stressful conditions

You may wonder why I’ve displayed Daniel Farke’s picture lying flat on the turf at Elland Road. It’s because I believe it’s vital for leaders to reveal their human side, where moments of success are celebrated with their team and the bonds between everyone grow stronger. Daniel was accidentally knocked to the ground by one of his players and subsequently booked by the referee! And don’t get me started on that particular decision!!

#Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #Teamwork