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What it takes to succeed as a manager

You must manage your team, manage up and manage your communities.

2 min read

Management

Soccer

Wuilmar Matias-Morales/Unsplash

Doing what you love to do can be a long and painful process.

That is a lesson that comes through loudly and clearly in the remarkable documentary from Aljoscha Pause called “Trainer!”

To succeed in professional football (soccer), you need to do more than strategy and tactics.

1. Connect with players. No two players are alike, as the film makes abundantly clear. Some need clear guidelines; others are self-directed. Some need a kick up the backside; others turn off at discipline.

2. Manage your situation. Professional football clubs have a board of directors plus what we would call general managers. Coaches report to them. They must lead up — that is, deliver what the bosses what while at the same time achieve good things for the club.

3. Handle the distractions. Savvy coaches know how to play the media: Be accessible. They also know how to please the fans: Play to their needs and be willing to participate in club events, such as autograph signings.

Managers are just like professional coaches. They must learn how to bring out the best in their employees, manage up in order to achieve their objectives and engage with the community around them.

John Baldoni is an internationally recognized leadership educator and executive coach. In 2018, Trust Across America honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Trust. Also in 2018, Inc.com named Baldoni a Top 100 Leadership Speaker. Global Gurus ranked him No. 22 on its list of top 30 global experts, a list he has been on since 2007. In 2014, Inc.com named Baldoni to its list of top 50 leadership experts. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including his newest, “MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership.”

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