Sir Jim Ratcliffe has explained his three-word philosophy for success after acquiring a minority stake in Manchester United.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS group paid more than £1 billion for 27.7 percent of the club, which will rise to almost 30 percent following a further £238 million injection into the P.remier Liga giants.
His involvement with the Red Devils has given fans a new sense of hope after years of frustration directed at the Glazer family, who were initially open to selling their entire stake in the club.
The process was lengthy as Ratcliffe went up against a Qatari consortium, but was finally concluded on Wednesday afternoon.
The 71-year-old has spoken about a range of topics at United, from revamping Old Trafford to improving performances on the pitch, but he put it simply when explaining how he has built his success.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has explained his three-word philosophy after becoming the minority owner of Manchester United
The Brit made it clear that he intends to improve the club after taking over 27.7 percent of the club
Ratcliffe is keen to convey the values that have made his energy company INEOS successful
“We have three words that we use in INEOS that I think sum up INEOS very well,” said the Brit. MUTV on Thursday. ‘Grit, rigor and humor. I think a lot of that applies to football as well.
‘Grit, you definitely need courage. You saw that in Barcelona in (the Champions League final in) 1999 they played until the last minute. Strictness means training yourself and doing things well and correctly.
‘And there are always setbacks in life, so you need a sense of humor. Besides, you spend a lot of time there (at work), so you have to enjoy it.
‘The other INEOS slogan, which supports courage, rigor and humour, is manners, and I think that’s very important too.’
Ratcliffe was keen to transfer INEOS’ key values to United after discussing current standards at the club.
He praised his employees at the energy company, before revealing he is aiming for the same if he finds himself stuck at United.
He explained that courage, rigor and humor are the basis for his philosophies, but also that he is well-mannered.
Ratcliffe became a billionaire through INEOS and said: ‘things to do with the working environment apply equally to a football club’
“People at INEOS don’t leave for any reason,” he added. ‘Very few senior management people have ever left INEOS, and they tend to work later in life.
But I think it’s quite a challenging environment within INEOS. We’re very focused on success, but it’s quite a supportive, friendly and humorous place, so I think people obviously enjoy it.
‘And I think a lot of the things that have to do with the working environment also apply to a football club.