Pulis: What managers learn from Napoleon and sacking — SkimNews
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- Tony Pulis was sacked from his first managerial job at Bournemouth in 1994, a moment that deeply affected him but became a foundational lesson in perseverance.
- Jim Smith called Pulis shortly after his sacking and delivered tough advice: 'You're not a real manager until you get sacked at least three times — get your backside off the sofa and get on with getting another job.'
- Bruce Rioch offered Pulis scouting work for Bolton during his time out of management, an opportunity Pulis credits with teaching him the importance of identifying the right players for the right level.
- Pulis scouted extensively for Bolton while unemployed, which directly informed his successful recruitment strategy upon becoming Gillingham manager, leading to promotion from League Two in his first season.
- Napoleon Bonaparte became a key figure in Pulis’s study of leadership, with Pulis analyzing his command style, troop loyalty, and the Napoleonic Code, later speaking on his legacy at a 2019 event in Corsica.
- Pulis studied historical leadership failures like the Charge of the Light Brigade and the survival story of HMS Endurance, drawing parallels to communication breakdowns and team cohesion in football management.
- Pulis advises sacked managers to stay active, keep learning, and accept any role in football, stressing that being in a job — even at a lower level — is better than being out of the game entirely.
Why it matters: For aspiring and out-of-work managers, Pulis’s experience underscores that time between jobs is not downtime but a critical period for growth. His path from sacking to promotion at Gillingham shows that proactive scouting and leadership study directly translate to on-field success, making unemployment a strategic opportunity rather than a career gap.
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