Quotes from Alex Ferguson

I always watch to see whether people can maintain eye contact because it is a good measure of their confidence.

The way to win battles, wars and games is by attacking and overrunning the opposing side.

The only real test of character comes with the passing of the years and watching them perform - particularly when they are going through a bad spell or recovering from a setback. The ultimate judge of performance is Father Time.

Decisions are simpler when you are dealing with people you know well. It is far casier to gauge their opinions and weigh their judgements than the observations of strangers.

A network takes time to develop. Part comes through the passage of time, part from the way you treat others and part from reciprocity.

If the people within your organisation feel they are part of a community that has their interests at heart, they will develop great loyalty. And it often starts with what seem like small issues.

It's easy to forget about someone who has left an organisation and assume that because they've retired, or because their most fruitful years are behind them, they are no longer of any use. Quite the contrary. If the organisation has done right by them they will usually have fond memories of it, harbour considerable affection for it and be very happy to help.

If you have decided you are going to get rid of someone, nothing beats honesty.

There's some merit in getting defeated even though I'd never want it to be a habit. Team members who are hungry for victory and take great pride in their performance will be eager to avenge defeat.

I realise that we're shaped by lots of other forces beyond just watching, listening and reading. We're all accidental victims of our parents' DNA; we are shaped by the luck of the draw, the circumstances in which we grew up and the education we received. But we all have two sets of very powerful tools that we completely control: our eyes and our ears. Watching others, listening to their advice and reading about people are three of the best things I ever did.

A leader who arrives in a new setting, or inherits a big role, needs to curb the impulse to display his manhood.

Whenever someone new assumes a role, there will always be doubts about his capabilities until he has proved himself.

The best protection against attacks from others comes from a few people whose opinions you really care about. The yells of a horde of abusive banshees always fade away when you have the support of a few people that you respect.

For me it's been more important to plan what I want to say, have a mental road map for the points I want to emphasise, and then try to maintain my train of thought.

a display of temper is more effective if used sparingly. I just don't believe that you can get the most out of people if they are perpetually afraid of you.

Effective delegation depends on the ability of others to make decisions. Some people can make decisions, others cannot. It

I was the puppet master, not the control freak.

Nobody had ever explained to me that working with, and through, others is by far the most effective way to do things - assuming, of course, that they understand what you want and are keen to follow. I gradually began to understand that this is the difference between management and leadership.

It was to set very high standards. It was to help everyone else believe they could do things that they didn't think they were capable of. It was to chart a course that had not been pursued before. It was to make everyone understand that the impossible was possible. That's the difference between leadership and management.

En el momento en el que la autocomplacencia se instala, las cosas empiezan a ir mal y casi siempre conduce a la perdición.

Effective delegation depends on the ability of others to make decisions. Some people can make decisions, others cannot. It just doesn't work if you are congenitally hesitant and allow things to linger in a state of suspension.

Opponents come to Old Trafford expecting an onslaught. 'Why disappoint them?' I say to my players.

you have to make decisions with the information at your disposal, rather than what you wish you might have. I never had a problem reaching a decision based on imperfect information. That's just the way the world works.

Si dirigiera un negocio, me encantaría conocer las ideas de sus trabajadores más jóvenes, pues son los que tienen un mayor contacto con la realidad y las perspectivas de futuro.