I recently watched my friends coach their competitive team in a soccer tournament.  Their team is a girls under-7 team.  As I watched, I was amazed at the skill level of these young players, their maturity and teamwork. 

As I sat on the sideline for the Championship Game, I heard Trey’s pre-game motivational speech.  At the end of the message, he sent them out on the field and said ‘Play Hard’.  Without missing a beat, one of their standout players exclaimed, “don’t  play hard, play your BEST”.  I was astonished at her outlook; it’s not enough to simply ‘try’ or ‘play hard’.  She stepped up and told her teammates that anything less than their individual best was unacceptable.

In looking at her leadership, do you demand the best from your teams?  Have you set the expectation and managed a culture that demands this?  Do your star ‘players’ demand this?  Do they lead by example?    

By the way, not only did they win the tournament, but they outscored their opponents 63 to 1 - in the under 10 division.  It’s safe to say that they gave it their absolute best.

Photo by keithminer.