Following the appointment of Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa's new head coach on Thursday morning, it is fair to say that many are eager to find if how the 41-year-old will succeed in the Midlands.
Gerrard signed a three-and-a-half deal with the club after leaving Rangers, becoming Dean Smith's successor after he was sacked on Sunday following a run of five consecutive defeats.
Birmingham City University's Business School associate professor, Dr Scott Lichtenstein who specialises in the area of leaders' and executives' personal values, believes Gerrard will get the best out of the team's players and will eventually become their 'role model.'
"Who wouldn’t want to play for Liverpool’s talisman?," he began.
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Although Dr Lichtenstein also acknowledged that the former Liverpool and England midfielder will need to establish some form of connection early on - the same one that made him a legendary leader during his 17-year stint at Anfield.
"Someone with formal authority without followers isn’t a leader. Leadership is the interaction between leaders and followers, specifically, it is a social influencing process," Lichtenstein added.
"A good leader gets the right people 'on the bus' and the wrong people off it, whilst giving sense to fans, followers and the workforce what their leadership legacy will be. As a role model, Gerrard will get the best out of the players."
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