Tag Archives: Discipline

How are you leading?

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This is one of my favorite pictures.  Julianne snapped it this weekend with her iPhone and through the magic of Instagram, you get a picture of me surrounded by 5 and 6 year old boys at their last soccer game of the season.  First things first.  I absolutely LOVED coaching.  It helped that Joshua loved playing and enjoyed “having Daddy coach!”  To me, that was where I found the joy.  I was able to watch 12 kindergarten boys learn the game of soccer, enjoy geting to know each other, and improve as the season went on.  I also think the fact that I am as passionate about soccer as I am social media had a thing to do with me enjoying it!

As I looked at this picture, I began to think about leadership.  As a boss or leader, what is your style?  If I were to look at how I coached 5 and 6 year olds this past spring, I focused on the following characteristics.  Could that translate from the soccer field into successful leadership in the office?

  • ENCOURAGEMENT – Keep trying even if you missed the goal!
  • HUMILITY – Stay humble after scoring goals!  The game isn’t over.
  • TEAMWORK – Pass the ball.
  • DISCIPLINE – Take charge when you need to.  5 and 6 year olds don’t always behave!
  • FUN – Keep them laughing.  Do things to mix it up at practice that are enjoyable so they excel during the games!
As I look at this list, it seems like this could be a recipe for success on a team.  It applies to fathers, coaches, business leaders.  So I say “YES”, when I finally get a chance to lead a team, these will be some of the principles that I’ll use.  I’ll continually ask the questions:
  • Is there improvement and growth?
  • Are they working together?
  • Are they learning?
  • Are they having fun?
If the answer is “yes” to all of the questions, then it feels like I’ve done my job but will continue to find ways to motivate and challenge.  Am I oversimplifying things by limiting leadership to this list?  Not having extensive leadership experience, I pose this question to you: what are some other characteristics you look for in leadership?