With the departure of Steve McClaren following England's 3-2 defeat by Croatia and subsequent failure to qualify for Euro 2008, the recruitment process for the new England football coach is already under way and the FA has committed to doing ‘everything right to get the right man for the job’.
SHL, a leading provider of psychometric assessment and development solutions, urges the FA to re-think its recruitment process – keeping the good bits but also learning from mistakes that were made when bringing McClaren on board.
Occupational Psychologist at SHL, Howard Grosvenor, explains: “The question is, ‘Was McClaren the right person doing a bad job, or the wrong person in the first place?’. Many commentators have suggested that it is the selection process that is at fault, rather than McClaren personally. At the time of his appointment, the selection process was shrouded in mystery. At best, it's likely to have been a small number of stakeholders making subjective decisions based on personal preference, views on track record, cost, and of course politics. In the world of work, we know that this just doesn't work when finding and appointing leaders.”
“The FA will need to consider track record when looking for the next England Coach for sure, but importantly it will also need to consider and identify the attributes that are required for success. The role of the England Coach is only 1% about being able to kick a football around a pitch. The right individual needs to be able to make effective decisions; think strategically; interact effectively with different personalities in the team; handle the relationship with the FA and the media; cope effectively with pressure; motivate the team; and plan to achieve the team and the Country’s long term goals!
“It’s great that the FA is committed to getting the recruitment process right and there’s a lot the world of sport can learn from the business world – the appointment of the next England Coach is an area of obvious overlap. Leading businesses routinely select leaders and bring on board talent through objective psychometric testing in order to ensure that the right person for the job is found.”
About SHL Group Limited
SHL is a world-leading provider of psychometric assessment and development solutions. The company supports organisations in the selection, recruitment, promotion, succession planning and development of talented people at all levels and across all sectors. Operating in 40 countries and more than 30 languages, the SHL Group devises innovative approaches to help organisations increase productivity and gain competitive advantage through the more effective use of their human capital. SHL has over 15,500 organisations as clients, including many of the Global and Times Top 1000, and is recognised as the foremost provider of objective assessment products in the world.