(CNN) -- When researchers at Harvard Business School set out to study top-level leadership within a major organization, it would have been easy to focus on a high-flying CEO from the commercial or financial worlds. Instead, the academics cast convention aside and approached a football manager with an avowed commitment to socialism -- Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Manchester United manager is one of the most successful coaches of all time, winning a veritable treasure trove of trophies and championships in a managerial career that stretched across five decades. All very impressive, but what could Ferguson possibly know about business leadership that would be of use to an in-depth study on the subject?
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Football managers can offer valuable insight into leadership, says author Mike Carson
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Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger all exhibit powerful leadership traits, Carson states
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Ex-player Ramon Vega believes communication skills gleaned in the football world can be transferred to business
Mike Carson
Carson
Like the researchers who studied Ferguson at close quarters and invited him to speak at Harvard last year, @placeholder draws parallels between the best CEOs and football managers in how they strive to introduce long term structures and values to foster a culture of success.