A Few Things I Learned From Coaching the Beautiful Game
Coaching a soccer team has taught me a lot about leadership, teamwork, and achieving success. As I reflect on my experience, I realize that the challenges I faced as a coach of a soccer team are quite similar to those I have faced as a leader of a product development team.
Flow Is Valuable
In soccer, flow refers to the ability of a team to move the ball efficiently and effectively, with players anticipating each other’s movements and working together to create opportunities for scoring. The game flow isn’t always positive, and you have to be able to adapt to situations as they arise: fouls, penalties, injuries, lack of possession, and the list can go on. The game is so dynamic, that it tests every individual involved in the game.
In product development, flow refers to the ability of a team to work together seamlessly, with team members understanding each other's roles and working together to achieve a common goal. Similar to a soccer match, you can see how working together is so important. Every individual has to understand the goal, and how to acheive it. The game doesn’t stop at just making a plan. Teams have to adapt to the day-to-day challenges they may face on their own.
Teamwork IS The Work
In soccer, no one player can win a game on their own. It takes a team effort to win. Moving the ball forward, or defending against opposition requires every team member. The same way we want success for our product teams, we must create an environment that is conducive to the success we want. When coaching, be an advocate for your players, and give them the freedom to experiment.
Perspective is an important part of how your team responds. Let your teams make decisions and react to what is happening, and you will start to see the areas of improvement. We can’t be in every room, in every meeting, or on the pitch in every moment of the game. Trust and collaboration are required to allow your teams to deliver results.
Create Engagement
Your players won’t necessarily know how to respond in every situation. This, unfortunately, is just part of the game. One of the challenges of leadership is understanding when to delegate, when to teach, and when to do.
When analyzing when to do each one, think about how people learn:
Would they learn more from doing it themselves?
Would they learn more from a little bit of guidance?
Would they learn more from being shown how?
Create a framework for development so that your teams can rely on you as a coach.
Provide Purpose
At the start of every practice, I have incorporated an objective: the why. I ask guiding questions to the team to provide further context around the objective, and let them answer by showing me how they plan to achieve the objective. This small change in practices has created a much more engaging learning environment for the players.
When leading development teams, do the same. Provide that distinct purpose in your planning sessions, and continuously ask: “Does this meet the objective?” This can help reduce the noise around how and what your teams should focus on.
Create Balance
Think about the makeup of your team. Do you have balance to achieve the objective in front of you? If yes, how can you challenge your team to meet the objective? If no, how can you create balance?
In soccer, there isn’t a perfect formula. Coaches have tactics that create success in attack, in possession, and/or in defense. One thing that holds true in all phases of the game, is that you must create balance in order to win. What is thrown at you in game can be compared to the headwinds you face as a team. Teammates leave, get sick, take vacations, have life events, and the list goes on. The point is, that balance can easily be thrown off, and you have to adapt quickly. What things do you try when this happens?
Coaching soccer has been an amazing experience. I have learned a lot about myself, and have adapted principles from my coaching into my leadership style. If you are in a leadership position, find ways to invest in yourself. If not for you, for the sake of your teams. You’ll be a better coach, mentor, and all around person for it.