“To every thing there is a season,” says Ecclesiastes, “and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die…a time to kill, and a time to heal…a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”

What would that gloomy old soul have to say about the life of the modern manager? “A time to work, and, er, that’s it.”

Many would see nothing wrong in this approach. Sir Alex Ferguson, the highly successful manager of Manchester United football club, is a good example. Asked last month how he felt about his latest triumph of winning the European champions league, he admitted that, of course, he would be celebrating that evening.

But: “The thing about me is that I won’t get carried away with it, and tomorrow morning I will be thinking about next season,” Sir Alex went on: “It drains away very quickly – that drug, that final moment. I will be thinking about the future and looking into the players’ eyes to make sure their hunger is still there.”

Drive, hunger, ambition: today’s workplace seems to demand more and more of such stuff.

If you are serious about getting on in your career or leading your organisation on to greater success, a strong sense of urgency is required.

Continue reading Column: The addictive drug of success

June 17th, 2008 in Leadership, Management | Permalink