Wenger leaves Arsenal with a lasting legacy rather than a leadership void

Arsene Wenger is to leave Arsenal after 22 years, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups. 

Wenger introduced structure, rigour and discipline to a team once renowned for its drinking culture. He also instilled a great sense of loyalty and pride. In the modern world of football, there is often a focus on short-term results (and a tendency to sack managers pretty swiftly if they don’t achieve them). Although he has been criticised over the years for some of his decisions, Wenger always maintained a very clear sense of purpose and an unwavering long-term focus. 

Often when a longstanding leader leaves an organisation, it can leave a void which is difficult to fill. However, in Wenger’s case, the story has always been much more about the club than about him. Frequently described as a man of integrity, he leaves a lasting legacy which is much more about transforming Arsenal into a widely-admired, professional club than about any personal heroics of his own.

When Herbert Chapman managed Arsenal from 1925-1934 he became known as ‘The Great Innovator’ because he was concerned not only with winning trophies, but also with always looking for new ways to improve performance. Wenger helped to refocus Arsenal on this performance goal. He showed great commitment to the club and inspired others to do the same. His parting comment, "To all the Arsenal lovers, take care of the values of the club," demonstrates his desire for others to maintain this commitment.  

Bridge of Spies and the importance of values

I watched the hit film Bridge of Spies recently and it made me think a lot about the power of purpose and values.

In the film, we see the tension in 1960 America between the overwhelming national sense of purpose in maintaining US security and the national values of justice and freedom as a lawyer fights to ensure a fair trial for a suspected Russian spy.  The national paranoia about the Soviet threat triggers a witch hunt mentality when Rudolf Abel is charged as a Soviet spy in New York. His appointed lawyer, James B Donovan, previously an insurance lawyer, who begrudgingly takes the case, gets pilloried on the subway and his house is attacked.

Donovan starts by, in his mind, simply doing his job as a lawyer by seeking a fair trial, but gradually he gets drawn into defying public sentiment and appealing to the Supreme Court in order to see that justice is done.  Abel’s case becomes linked to that of Gary Powers, a US spy pilot who was captured after his plane was shot down over Soviet territory.  Donovan ends up going to east Berlin with the CIA to negotiate a prisoner swap at great personal risk.  He pulls it off and Abel is exchanged for Powers on Glienicke Bridge in which connects East and West Berlin. Donovan also manages to secure the release of Frederic Pryor, a graduate student who has been arrested in East Berlin, at the same time.

Back in the US, Donovan is finally hailed as a national hero, having endured public hostility since the trial began.  He came to realise that when your purpose is at odds with your values, trust your values. He did what he believed was right, in spite of pressure from many sides to serve the national interest first.

In business, leaders can also benefit from trusting their values, especially in times of turmoil. Communicating a very clear sense of purpose enables people across the organisation to develop a shared view of why they exist as an entity and an understanding of what they are trying to achieve together. There is a shared mission around which people can unite and flourish. It is up to leaders to help people make sense of this and how their roles relate to the purpose of the business. After all, people typically want to know that what they do at work has value, and is something of which they can be proud.