Pacing, Swivels, and Other Sports Lessons for Excellent Leadership
I can still imagine my eighteen year old self nearly out of breath, staying light on my feet on a soccer field of slightly damp, vibrantly green grass waiting to defend against an opponent’s attack. I’ve been thinking a lot about the lessons I’ve learned through sports since I’ve started coaching my son’s soccer team this Fall. Most of the time my coaching feels like herding cats. After all, they are 5 and 6 year olds, many of whom are playing soccer for the first time. But then again, quite a bit of leadership can feel like herding cats.
There are so many brilliant coaches and athletes who have written and spoken on the life lessons from sports. Here are three lessons that have resonated with me in these past few weeks.
Lesson 1: Adjusting Pace
Most athletes pay attention to pace. I learned the importance of pacing when competing on my high school cross-country team. I hated to lose. And even though I rarely won, I gave every competition my all. Early on, I learned that if I started a race too fast, I was bound to lose steam and barely drag myself across the finish line. Pacing during that initial…
