Mikel Arteta – A Different Kind of Leadership

Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal finally returned to the top of English football after 22 long years, following a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in Round 37. Interestingly, Arteta once served as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola — a managerial icon who transformed the landscape of modern English football.

This post is not really about football tactics. Truth be told, Mr. Old Man is not even a hardcore Arsenal fan What truly caught Mr. Old Man’s attention was the way Arteta inspires his players and builds a culture strong enough to bring Arsenal back to glory for the first time since the Arsène Wenger era in 2004.

Only three months after taking charge, Arteta brought an old olive tree to Arsenal’s training ground at London Colney. The tree, nearly as old as the club itself, became a symbol of the roots and culture he wanted to build.

The olive tree had to survive the harsh English weather — just as his players had to learn how to endure pressure, setbacks, and difficult moments. Arteta said:

“When the sun is out and there’s plenty of water, everything is easy. But when storms come, when it gets windy and frozen, how are we going to look after that tree? That was my way of representing what we are trying to build through a living thing.”

Reading this, Mr. Old Man wondered how many football leaders — or business leaders — would think of something so symbolic and deeply human.

Only leaders with genuine passion, emotional intelligence, and a real hunger to win would do something like that. Many leaders can still succeed through KPIs, systems, incentives, and endless urgent emails marked in red

Many leaders begin a new position by changing structures, processes, or operating models. Arteta went out and bought… an olive tree.

Simple. Yet powerful.

British media have shared many unusual “mind games” used by Arteta — from the olive tree and the lightbulb to even a “pickpocket” exercise* — all designed to help players understand concentration, resilience, and collective spirit.

Back in his banking days, Mr. Old Man attended many leadership and management courses, as well as motivational training programs. But honestly, no theory or classroom framework ever felt as real and emotionally compelling as the way Arteta inspires and connects with his players.

So if Mr. Old Man ever had the chance to meet Arteta in person, he would probably use the English third conditional — the grammar structure for something impossible in the past

“If I had known you earlier, I would have become a better leader.”

Sometimes leadership is not only about strategy.
Sometimes it is about creating meaning people can truly feel.

_____

Mr. Old Man

*Pickpocket: Arteta once secretly hired professional pickpockets to mingle among Arsenal players during a team dinner. At the end of the evening, several players realized their phones or wallets had disappeared. His message was simple: one brief moment of losing concentration can cost the team dearly.

*Lightbulb: Before one match, Arteta reportedly brought a lightbulb into the dressing room and turned off all the lights. Using the small light source, he spoke about belief, energy, and how one individual can “light up” an entire team during difficult moments.

(Photo credits: GOAL, Arsenal media and public online sources.)