Starting With Real Madrid

When Gao Shen was working in business in his previous life, he encountered a very interesting problem.

The company's development hit a bottleneck, so the boss specially hired a well-known consulting firm, hoping to tailor a strategic plan and rectification plan for the company. The result was disastrous. The rectification failed, the business collapsed, and the boss was furious.

The reason given by the consulting firm was that the company had an execution problem.

The boss believed it, so he asked the consulting firm to develop a diagnostic plan for the company's execution capabilities.

Was that the end?

No.

Over the years, the company made many plans, and each plan looked promising on paper, but when it came to implementation, it was a mess.

The boss and senior management were very frustrated. They held many meetings, big and small, from company strategy and market positioning to internal communication. They tried everything, but nothing worked.

At that time, Gao Shen was a middle manager, and he noticed a very interesting phenomenon.

During this period, no one from top to bottom was free from complaints.

The boss and senior management complained that the middle managers did not cooperate and the grassroots did not understand, which resulted in a perfect plan being implemented in a distorted way. They felt their good intentions to develop the company were not understood at all.

But the grassroots were also full of grievances.

It was easy for the boss and senior management to shout a few slogans, but could they be carried out?

We needed to issue more invoices while maintaining a reasonable profit. The key was that in the past the company could reimburse entertainment and travel expenses, but now finance said that was no longer possible. The boss wanted finance to increase revenue, reduce expenditure, and clean up the accounts.

At the end of the month, if targets were not met, employees would be fined or even fired.

Middle managers did not have it easy either. Being stuck in the middle was like being sandwiched, an awkward position. They reported the situation to their superiors countless times, but the response was always the same, "Try to get through it and figure out a solution yourselves. The company is having difficulties right now…"

Gradually, the middle managers stopped giving feedback and just lay down and let things slide.

The grassroots lacked motivation. They did whatever their boss said. They just wanted to muddle through. It did not matter where they were.

In this way, strategic plans that once looked brilliant were aborted time and again.

Everyone felt deeply wronged.

…

Gao Shen later reflected on this experience and came to a deep understanding.

All business problems ultimately boil down to people problems.

Management is about human nature.

No company or team can be entirely of one mind. Everyone has their own interests and plans. The key is how to bring everyone together through effective management to form shared interests.

Just like at Leeds United.

Four hundred million euros earned in two years, is that not a lot?

If Gao Shen pocketed all 400 million euros, no one could stop him, but how would others feel?

Now, Gao Shen has invested all the money into the training base and new stadium plans to show his determination to keep developing and make Leeds United bigger and stronger, and to give everyone hope.

But hope alone will not last long.

So, we must also provide tangible benefits so they can enjoy the gains brought by Leeds United's growth.

That requires salaries and bonuses.

In practice, management should set the overall direction and strategy, but leave more flexibility and room for the middle and grassroots levels in execution.

Of course, how much flexibility to leave is a science.

Too much is not good, too little is not good either. Everything should be reasonable.

This requires constant adjustment.

Not only that, but you also need to provide as much encouragement and support as possible, reassess regularly, actively listen to feedback, and make timely adjustments.

This sophisticated approach is used not only on the pitch, but also in the daily management of the dressing room and even in the club's operations.

Many people wondered why Leeds United were able to finish in the top six of the Premier League last season.

Many surprise teams start well, then collapse in the second half, and end up mid-table.

But Leeds United did not.

That was because the club's top management kept adjusting strategic goals, listening to feedback from the coaching staff and the dressing room, constantly re-evaluating, fixing problems in time, and giving the team more support and incentives that matched reality.

In the end, Leeds United performed very well throughout the season, with the coaching staff, players, and staff all highly motivated.

It can be said that after two years of exploration and development, Leeds United have established a complete management system.

From the board to the coaching staff to the dressing room to the staff, there is a scientific and well-structured management process.

This is also why Gao Shen is so confident that Leeds United can stay in the Premier League in the new season.

Because this is Leeds United's core competitiveness.

At least in the current Premier League, or even European football, there are few clubs like Leeds United that have implemented a modern management system.

Not even Manchester United.

Real Madrid count, Bayern Munich barely count, and as for Barcelona…

Gao Shen has always believed that if war tests a country's comprehensive strength, then football tests a club's comprehensive strength, not just the level of its players.

Leeds United's success in the Premier League last season is the best proof.

This also made him more determined.

He believed that this was the right path.

…

After a series of frenzied sales, Leeds United became the biggest "black shop" in world football.

No one could believe Leeds United could do something so crazy.

Eight players in their prime were sold in one go, bringing in 300 million euros in transfer fees. But what about signings?

Basically, they cost very little.

The fees for Kimmich, Rabiot, and others were around 1.5 million euros, which was nowhere near the income from sales.

Andrew Robertson was a free transfer and came from Scotland's fourth tier. Could he replace Kurzawa?

Amid the doubts, Leeds United's recruitment made further progress.

Borrell personally rushed to Italy and beat Udinese to sign Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Novara for 2.5 million euros.

After that, Borrell went to Portugal and signed young player Bernardo Silva from Benfica's youth team for 1.5 million euros.

After Leeds United officially announced the two deals, they held a press conference at Elland Road and officially announced Pochettino as the new head coach.

Gao Shen, Su Qing, Lucas, and Borrell, who had rushed back from Portugal, along with other executives, were all in attendance to show how much they valued Pochettino.

Chairman Su Qing gave a speech, expressing the board's support for Pochettino. He also said he believed the Argentine could lead Leeds United to success and promised not to put too much pressure on him for results.

But when answering media questions, Pochettino said he hoped Leeds United could finish in the top half in the new season.

There are twenty teams in the Premier League. He wanted a top-ten finish.

This was a huge challenge for a Leeds United side that had sold eight key players in the summer.

However, Gao Shen admired Pochettino's ambition.

Next, it would depend on whether he could effectively integrate the squad and win over the dressing room.

Based on Gao Shen's understanding of Pochettino, and his success with teams like Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in his previous life, he believed there would be no major problem.

At Pochettino's unveiling, Su Qing formally answered questions from the media.

Over the past few days, Leeds United had put out information through multiple outlets, including the Yorkshire Evening Post, and fans were gradually appeased.

Now, Su Qing officially announced in public for the first time that Leeds United were planning to build a new stadium.

"We are already in communication and negotiation with the city council because there are many factors involved, including construction approvals. But we have received the commitment and strong support of the municipal government."

The wasteland around Elland Road belongs to Leeds United, including the original training base.

In fact, Leeds United had a big project plan years ago, which was strongly supported by the city government at the time.

Now, Leeds United were going to make changes based on that foundation.

For example, the original plan was to expand the West Stand, but now, Leeds United plan to build a new football stadium directly on the west side. After it is completed, Leeds United will move in, demolish Elland Road, and develop a commercial project to attract investment.

This will be a very large project, with a much higher investment than before, so it naturally requires fresh approvals and discussions with the city council.

"We have already had preliminary talks with Norman Foster + Partners, and we anticipate that the new stadium will have a capacity of 60,000 and be equipped with the world's most advanced intelligent management system."

Su Qing said the club could not yet provide an exact budget for the stadium, but it would be at least 500 million euros.

This immediately drew applause across the room.

Since Arsenal planned and built the Emirates Stadium, no Premier League team had been willing to invest in a new stadium for many years.

Previously, clubs like Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Chelsea had expressed such intentions, but none succeeded. Now it was Leeds United, which was indeed an exciting move.

When the news came out, the whole of Leeds and even all of Yorkshire were in shock.

As the only Premier League club in Yorkshire, Leeds United's every move pulled at the hearts of countless fans.

A capacity of 60,000 is nearly double Elland Road's current capacity. This is a major challenge for Leeds United.

Although Elland Road's attendance rate is very high, filling a 60,000-seat stadium is still a challenge. It will depend on the club's ability to manage local fans and the wider Yorkshire fan base.

Fortunately, nothing has happened yet, and Leeds United still have a few years to work on it.

Three days after Su Qing officially announced the construction of the new stadium, Leeds United held another press conference at Elland Road and officially signed with Norman Foster's firm, entrusting them with full responsibility for the planning and design of the new stadium and the surrounding land.

Norman Foster recalled bidding for the Camp Nou renovation in 2007 but ultimately failing. He said Leeds United's new stadium would be the most exciting project he had taken on in recent years.

"I hope this will not only be a football stadium, but also a landmark for Leeds, Yorkshire, and even all of England!"

(To be continued.)

***

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