Action.

I recently had a conversation with another young coach about the soccer culture we found ourselves in. He told me about a past experience that ultimately resulted in him losing his job. In short, he was an outsider, like myself, meaning he came into the club and no one knew who he was. He began to notice that there was a better way of doing things and when he began to voice his concerns, those who were in more senior positions didn’t feel the same. For the last six months of his contract, they staff made him feel very uncomfortable until he left. I asked him if he would have done anything differently, and he said no.

He told me that when it comes to standing up- for yourself, for your athletes- you have to be prepared for the ramifications. During out conversation, I began to reflect on what my values were and what my coaching vision was. For the first time I could connect the dots and see how important it was to know what these were. For me, it comes down to two words: authenticity and service. Everything I say and do are because of these two words.

For me, I feel like my values and vision get put to the test every day. What is challenging for me is recognizing that it’s not about “who can scream louder,” or even just being blunt and saying what I think. I am very much that person who just says what the issue is and will get frustrated when they don’t agree or see what I see. Or worse, they do but then don’t do anything differently. What I have learned that I need to do better is trying different ways to help others see a problem. What do I mean by this? I am not an expert. But, if I do a little research and use an expert’s opinion to support my position, then I could be more likely to get somewhere.

I know there is a fine line to walk when it comes to challenging the status quo and fighting for what you believe in. But for me, I will conclude with this quote from Deitrich Bonhoeffer: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”