Lee Johnson and Leadership Skills.

Lee Johnson posts great Bristol City story on Ian Wright and Bailey Wright on social media
Former Robins boss also posts poser for football coaches to test their leadership skills.

Just where will the former Bristol City boss of 2016-20 pitch up next? What kind of club would he suit?

Bristol Live understands that former Robins head coach Lee Johnson is happy biding his time outside of football management and is enjoying the reflective period and 'refining the process'. He is in no rush to land a new post.

(And as an aside we think Johnson would perfectly suit an England youth team coaching role given his passion for the game and outstanding coaching skills on the pitch, in answer to the question at the top, if a Championship side is not forthcoming.)

Johnson, no stranger to watching and commenting on the Championship with regular appearances on TalkSport, SkySports, The Times, The independent and more recently, also visited Millfield School to provide a coaching session for the next generation along with former assistant and ex-City left-back Jamie McAllister.

The former Barnsley and Oldham boss has also been very active on social media, and has penned an interesting blog post too.

Offering leadership advice and more on his LinkedIn page, the former Robins boss also recently shared a great story from his time at Ashton Gate, when former Arsenal striker Ian Wright visited the club to help pass on tips to City's strikers.

Johnson wrote: 'The power of introduction is a great leadership and inspirational technique/tool to use. Here is an example of how I have used this technique in my management style. Bailey Wright was such a fantastic captain for me. Bailey is as good as it gets on a human level as well as being a brilliant footballer. One day I realised I hadn’t told him enough how much I value his contribution.

Ian Wright was coming in to the training ground that day. I asked Ian if I could introduce him to Bailey. Ian was a idol for Bailey and on introduction, my words were ...
“Ian, this is Bailey Wright, he is a warrior, leader ,a top centre half and the best captain I’ve ever had. However,more importantly, he is a fantastic person! “

Instantly Bailey, Ian and I, all felt good! A fantastically open and honest conversation followed.'

An honest Johnson explained that he would find it hard to express such thoughts directly to former skipper, Wright, however through a simple introduction it was possible to convey the trust he has in the now Sunderland defender.

The former City boss signed off with: 'Try it with your next introduction involving a colleague or partner for example .... it’s a game changer!'

A handy tip to use across any walk of life, and Johnson offers further guidance.

Leadership skills poser from Lee Johnson
The former City midfielder and head coach has also set a great test for budding coaches and managers, with former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss Graham Rix even adding to the comments at the end.

Hopefully this mental role play, will get you thinking!

In an highly charged environment, living by my own rules and controlling my emotions hasn’t always been an easy task. The good news is, I have learnt, that any communication skill can be developed. This scenario is definitely an area of my leadership I have needed to improve on, dating back to days at Oldham Athletic FC.

Picture the scene... you’re the Gaffer, you’ve just lost 1-0 at home to a side in the bottom 3. A 19 year old Academy product has given away the pass that led to the winning goal. Home fans have booed you off. You and your players are getting personal and professional abuse as you walk through the tunnel. The players are hot, bothered, angry and embarrassed as they take their seats, ready for you to deliver your post match dressing room debrief.

Johnson goes on to explain that he would apply the following. Though the scenario is likely made-up, it likely resembles incidents at all of his former clubs.

1. Show the personal touch to the 19 year old. An arm around the shoulder the way into the dressing room, maybe? Then verbally, in front of the troop, positively affirm his place in the squad and praise his development or performance. Articulate that he will learn from his error and grow. We all have a responsibility, to help nurture him.
2. Try to save any criticism for a 1 on 1 meeting on Monday. This will build trust and longevity in the coach/player relationship. Don’t single out an individual in front of the “troop” if possible. Warning -Get this wrong and creativity can be sapped from a talented player.
3. If you must criticise, criticise the action and not the man.
4. Your body language, language, tonality and the quality of your communication must be World class - work on it, it’s a skill that can be developed!
5. Ask for Commitment to each other and the cause. Promote togetherness.
6. Reframe the team - set a short term goal. Bring the boys back to fighter mentality.
7. Be the first to be positive and believe the next result is coming. You’ll find them as you leave them!

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lee-johnson-posts-great-bristol-4732493

 

No mate but there are a lot of people that are still interested in LJ and you have got to feed the lions.

 

Hey, I hope I'm not the next hate figure on Rp's shopping list, I just ' cut and paste' the news report, I'm just the messenger not LJ.