I was never really a sports fan.
“Why is anyone interested in watching people chase after a ball,” I often wondered. That is, until my five-year-old son joined his first soccer team. Then I became a huge sports fan of one little player. Over the decade since then, I’ve spent countless hours on the sidelines of soccer fields watching him play. I’ve also learned to recognize and appreciate the skill involved, both the players’ and the coaches’.
My son started as a forward, the player that tries to score the goals. A forward has to be fast and nimble. It is a position where a player can be especially creative. Over time, my son’s coach decided he would be more useful in the mid-field, where his job was to help get the ball to the forward players in the space and time where they could receive it. The midfielder’s job takes very quick decision-making skills and precise passes. Eventually, my son’s coach discovered that my son had a bigger impact on the games when he played in a defensive position. A defensive player has to be very observant and predict where the opposing team’s forwards will try to go and then cut off their options. Occasionally, in a pinch, my son has even had to sub in for an injured goalie and be the last obstacle between the ball and the back of the net. Goalies must be brave and willing to launch themselves high and far in any direction to stop a ball.
Put me in, Coach.
The best coaches can assess the skills of the players they have and then place them into the positions where they will be most successful. Where they will have the best impact on the game. They see how a player can grow into a position and find ways to develop the talent. As an unlikely soccer fan, and MOR alum, it has crossed my mind that we can think about our teams at work similarly. Like a coach, our job as leaders is to put our players on the field where they can have the most impact. Just as a coach with a team full of goalies will be unlikely to see their team score or a coach with a team full of forwards would have a disaster in their defense area, we as leaders should be cognizant of the variety of skills and qualities each of our team members brings. We must pay close attention to where they excel already and what they can become good at to fill a need in our ‘field’.
Being deliberate as we make assignments to place people in the areas where they can have the biggest impact takes time and analysis. Does one of your ‘players’ love the details and always want to see the agenda in advance? Does another prefer to skip the details and dream about what’s next? Is there someone on your team who embraces risk and likes to make quick decisions and move on? Have you noticed a team member who likes to build relationships and tends to have everyone’s trust? Where is the right place to put each of these players as you build your next project/assignment/plan?
Watch the other players, not just the one with the ball.
When I watch a soccer game these days, I try not to focus on the ball or the player with the ball. I like to watch what the other players do in reaction to where the ball is. I like to watch the shapes the players make and remake on the field in relation to the moving ball. That is where you can see the magic of the team dynamics. When a coach has placed the players in positions where they excel, they can more easily work together to succeed. When team members can bring their unique skills to the team, you end up with a team that responds effectively to challenges, comprised of members who help each other recover from mistakes and trust one another to do their part. That is what makes a winning team on the field and off.
I have used this soccer team analogy many times to help members of my teams appreciate one another. For example, to the person who is averse to details, I will remind them that our team member who always wants to dive into the weeds is playing an important role. We need people who can keep tabs on the details, and it means the people who prefer to think about the bigger picture or next steps have more time to do so. And vice versa. Win-win.
How often do you feel the work you do is best leveraging your strengths?
Last week, we asked how often do you feel treated as an adult at work?
- 67% said always or almost always
- 17% said frequently
- 8% said sometimes
- 5% said rarely
- 3% said not at all or almost not at all
It is so reaffirming to see the vast majority of us feel treated as an adult at work the vast majority of the time. However, that is still not the case for more than one in every six of us. As we reflect on that, what might we, or others, do occasionally so that others do not feel treated as adults? What action can you take when you see this occurring?