A Different Perspective: Barry Hunter (Liverpool FC)
Liverpool Football Club’s Chief Scout Barry Hunter is steeped in football and is part of one of the most respected football operations departments in world soccer.
Barry shared a number of universal leadership insights that he’s learned during his time in the football business, as well as several parallels between our two industries.
From how to feel comfortable in a culture of honesty, to the nuance of language in dealing with people, our conversation also covered assessing cultural fit (with a practical demonstration of shared Northern Ireland references!), as well as the importance of both effective communication, but also knowing when to step back from the conversation.
Golf club managers, in particular, might value insights around blocking out noise, when it comes to achieving clarity of decision making, and we can all benefit from creating a culture of honesty in our organisations.
Finally, we certainly found it reassuring to hear that even at an organisation of Liverpool FC’s stature, the hallways still occasionally echo with golf’s biggest barrier to progress:
“But we’ve always done it this way…”
Some insights to look out for:
1:30 The challenge of shifting a culture at an organisation like LFC using people, then processes
2:45 Reassuring echoes of golf governance - “We’ve always done it this way”
4:40 How to achieve clarity of decision making
7:40 Being comfortable in a culture of honesty
12:20 Sacrificing technical skills in recruitment for the right cultural fit
14:40 Interpreting the nuance of how someone replies to a question
16:30 Are we overcomplicating effective communication?
18:50 The importance of switching off to let you work smarter
21:45 How to block out the noise to make your best decisions
23:15 Balancing transparency with ownership and accountability