Shaping the Modern Coach: Generational Shifts and Mindset
What do Man Utd Manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Brighton Head Coach Fabian Hurzeler have in common?
Not a lot, at first glance. One is 83, the other 32. One is all fire and hairdryer treatment; the other is calm, analytical, and still younger than half his squad. And yet, both are football managers/coaches — leaders in their own ways with the desire to win, but each working within the confines of the eras and mindset they represent.
Now, this is to be expected because time doesn’t stand still.
Tactics have evolved from the standard 4-4-2 to now much used 4-3-3 with a gegenpress as a bare minimum; everything is now about data and the marginal gains you can get from it, from XG to analytics on distances covered and sprints made in a game; and now more than ever, mental health and player wellbeing is front and center with more players being vocal about fatigue and the number of games being played each year.
But if you look at football managers and head coaches, there has been a not so quiet radical evolution — from command and control to emotional intelligence and connection, where leaders are now balancing tactics, data and wellbeing. Gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho where authoritarian figures ruled with an iron first — “discipline wasn’t negotiatle; it was a value”. The turn of the century brought a shift, where managing the person became just as important as managing the player. Enter the Jurgen Klopps, Hope Powells and Pep Guardiolas of this world. Clubs and Countries became more humanised, where the strength came from connection and believing in something greater — the group, the mission, the idea, and with that redefining what success looked like. Fast forward to today, where the modern prototypes are now the Fabian Hurzelers, Renee Slegers and Xabi Alonsos — cosmopolitan coaches with thoughtful, modern leadership; grounded, tactical, part philosopher, part pragmatist, and fully human.
Taking it down a level, there is also the heavy influence from generations and eras. All workplaces now are multigenerational and which that comes varying degrees of what success looks like and what people place importance on, beyond the win/loss record or the number of trophies won, and at times, how much money is coming through the turnstiles.
When you bring all of that together, it’s interesting to see the shift and how leadership has evolved with time, mindset, context and people above and beyond the generational archetypes of the managers/coaches themselves:-
Sir Alex Ferguson (Baby Boomers) ruled with authority. High standards. Fear-based respect. “My way or the bench.”
Jose Mourinho (Gen X) brought intensity and individualism — a charismatic tactician who never shied away from saying, “I don’t change.”
Hope Powell (Gen X/Millennials) was a trailblazer — structured, cerebral, and quietly revolutionary, with a leadership style rooted less in ego and more in "knowing how to extract the best from different people."
Jurgen Klopp (Millennials) built teams on heart, loyalty, and emotional intelligence: “100% for the boys, with the boys.”
Emma Hayes (Millennials/Gen Z) redefined leadership — purpose-driven, people-first, and legacy-minded, believing that “as much as trophies matter, leaving something that’s built to last is the most important thing” to her.
Xabi Alonso (Gen Z) brings a new tone: purpose-led, collaborative, values-focused. A coach-player hybrid with clarity and calmness.
Renee Slegers (Gen Z) embodies empathetic precision — tactically astute, emotionally attuned, and fluent in the language of high-performance culture. Her style reflects a new wave of coaching where care, trust, and intelligence intersect.
Fabian Hurzeler (Gen Z) a systems-thinker — analytical, deeply intentional, and shaped by data and emotional literacy.
The journey from Fergie to Fabian ultimately reflects how leadership has changed. Leading people or managing generations is not an exact science. Far from it. But what this does reflect is that there has been a need for a style shift and adaptability to meet the moment. Not by abandoning your principles or influences, but by reading the room, tuning in, and responding to the people in front of you.
If we map that over into the workplace and in particular the Financial Services industry, today’s managers and leaders can no longer be disciplinarians that make standards accountable to their own — they are culture architects, storytellers, crisis managers, mental health advocates and performance CEOs. Much of the workplace now is about values and how to galvanise people to action, rather than telling people what to do and when you want it by.
People may argue that standards are dropping, that sense of excellence is being lost, and that leadership is catering to a new more vibrant generation. I would argue that what it means to win is being being redefined to an all encompassing standard that blends people, purpose, performance and profit.
