In Episode 10, Matt Parker, CEO of Teamwork City of Hope, talks with Phil about getting your team on the same page and maximizing performance through clarity, communication, culture, minimizing “noise,” developing leadership from within, and covering for your teammates when they’re “out of position.” Specifically, he discusses: His story and how his soccer and leadership have always been a big part of his life (1:17) The critical importance of soccer clubs and organizations being on the same page with their mission, vision, and values (3:44) The role of leaders in getting the teams on the same page (7:42) Developing culture on our teams to cultivate an environment for flourishing (10:04) How can leaders get everyone, including the superstars, on the same page (13:21) The importance of the leader of an organization and how he or she can be the start of a healthy organization (18:32) Things you can do as a coach/leader to be able to minimize the distractions and outside “noise,” and maximize your team performance (22:57) Matt’s thoughts on praising in public and criticizing in private (24:07) The importance of developing leadership from within your organization and succession planning (28:37) The primacy of clarity and communication in an organization (32:27) The need to cover for people who “play out of position” from time to time (37:00) How he has used the lessons he has learned from soccer in his marriage, parenting, and other areas of life (41:10) What Matt has been reading and watching to help his leadership (44:43) Resources and Links from this Episode Video of the Episode -- https://youtu.be/GC1ROO8AxJQ The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni Ted Lasso (Apple TV) Leading, by Alex Ferguson The Challenge Culture: Why the Most Successful Organizations Run on Pushback, by Nigel Travis Teamwork City of Hope website -- https://www.teamworkcityofhope.com/ Matt Parker Think Orphan Episode -- https://thinkorphan.com/2019/03/26/episode-137/  

In Episode 9, Graham Roxburgh, Head Coach of Trinity Western University and Executive Director/Founder of TeamUp, talks with Phil about the importance of a humble and learning posture, servant leadership, how he studies himself and his players, dealing with viruses on your team, key cultural and leadership principles from the book, Legacy, and how he uses the lessons he has learned in soccer in his life outside the game. Specifically, he discusses: How he went from growing up in England, to college in the US, to coaching at Trinity Western University and leading a non-profit organization in Canada (2:02) The work that his organization, TeamUp, is doing around the world to build bridges, cultivate relationships, and help others to flourish (6:36) What he has learned from the game of soccer that he has used in his organization (9:58) The importance of a learning and humble posture when working with people from other countries and cultures (14:51) How studying his own and his players’ personalities and behaviors has helped him in his coaching and organizational leadership, and why it is so important to incorporate similar analysis into your teams (18:10) The mentality and culture that he has developed in his program and why it is the core of all he does (29:56) Principles from the book, Legacy, which discusses the culture and leadership of the New Zealand All Blacks, and how Trinity Western’s program exemplifies those principles (e.g., “Sweep the Sheds” and “No Viruses”) (39:20) How he addresses viruses or potential viruses in his teams and why it is so difficult (50:13) The importance of strong leaders protecting the culture of a team (54:36) How he lives out the principles from Legacy in his organization (59:43) How he uses the lessons he has learned in soccer in his marriage and parenting, and other relationships (1:04:56) His book recommendations (1:08:45) Resources and Links from this Episode Video of the Episode -- https://youtu.be/JNFMqGVuB84 Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life, by James Kerr Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, by Simon Sinek The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues, by Patrick Lencioni The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community, by Hugh Halter Uplifting Leadership: How Organizations, Teams, and Communities Raise Performance, by Alan Boyle, Alma Harris, and Andy Hargreaves “The Trouble with Winning,” Stanford Social Innovation Review -- https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_trouble_with_winning "Invictus" (movie) TeamUp Website – teamup.world Trinity Western Women's Soccer Website -- https://gospartans.ca/sports/wsoc/index TWU Women's Soccer Facebook --https://www.facebook.com/twuwsoc TWU Instagram and Twitter -- @twuwsoc  

Touching the Line with Rick Clark of Georgia Tech   In Episode 8, Rick Clark, Director of Admissions at Georgia Institute of Technology, youth soccer coach, and former collegiate soccer player, talks with Phil about how lessons he has learned playing and coaching soccer for the past few decades have helped him in his marriage, his parenting, and his work at Georgia Tech. Specifically, he discusses: His soccer and professional background, and how his experiences playing and coaching soccer have informed his work as Director of Admissions at Georgia Tech (2:39) The special relationship between a coach and his players, and how he seeks to model that relationship in his work and family (8:33) The importance of coaches putting players in positions where they can flourish, and how that is similar to leadership in any organization (17:00) What position he played when he was playing, what he learned in that position, and how he is using what he learned from that today in his leadership (18:14) How the role players and club staff contribute to success on the pitch, and how that is similar to life outside of soccer (27:21) How injuries and struggles affect our performance and how we can help people going through struggles in their lives (30:41) How Rick incorporates the lessons he learned in soccer into his marriage, parenting, and other areas of life (33:34) Rick’s book recommendation for us (38:28) Resources and Links from this Episode The Road Back to You, by Ian Cron Zoom, by Istvan Banyai    

In Episode 7, Jordan Gardner, Chairman of the Board and Co-Owner of FC Helsingor and finalist for the Best Executive at the World Football Summit Industry Awards, talks with Phil about cross-cultural leadership, a posture of learning, recruiting and player development, what makes a great manager, and other aspects of successfully owning and running a football club in Europe. Specifically, he discusses: His story and his journey from playing soccer in California to owning multiple European soccer (i.e., football) clubs (1:04) What he learned from the game of soccer that he uses in his business/entrepreneurial ventures (3:18) Why it is so important in the world of football (and business) for clubs and organizations to have a healthy board and healthy relationships really between the boards, executives, owners, and managers (5:20) The challenges of working with others from different cultures, and how to earn the respect of others in cross-cultural work (8:15) How leaders need to surround themselves with people smarter and better than them (10:17) The critical importance of a humble, learning posture in leadership (12:14) How he measures success in his club and the keys to reaching that success (15:55) How to acquire and retain the right people in a business that is extremely transient (19:58) The need for more sophistication in player development and recruiting (22:36) Making business decisions in the context of a football club (27:04) The Chairman/Manager relationship when making difficult decisions (29:50) The critical importance of managers being strong and healthy leaders who lead well beyond the game (32:37) The important role of networking and connections in football and business (38:47) The impact of no fans and empty stadiums on the players and clubs (43:05) Resources and Links from this Episode Uncut video available on the How Soccer Explains Leadership YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/YdZ6UB47z9o FC Helsingor Website -- https://fchelsingor.dk/en/        

In our Season 1 Halftime Show (a/k/a Episode 6), Phil and Ryan (yes, Ryan is finally back in the studio) expand on some of the topics covered by our guests, Paul Jobson, Pete Kipley, Amanda Cromwell, and Eric Pfeiffer, in the first four interviews of the podcast, including:   Overcoming adversity and permission to fail (2:40) Coaching against the negative vs. coaching towards a positive (8:35) The critical role of college coaches in the development of their team as players and people (11:34) The negative side of insecurities and how to overcome them (12:52) Leading from the middle and the characteristics of great captains (17:48) “Have to” vs. “Get to” mentality and servant leadership (24:26) Repercussions of parents who micromanage, coddle, and/or pressure their kids (31:38) Neuroscience and how trauma compromises the brain’s ability to interact with itself (35:29) The four levels of development/growth (40:51) Resources and Links from this Episode Uncut video of the episode – https://youtu.be/UJh7lDxAvRs HSEL email – [email protected] HSEL Facebook Group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/howsoccerexplainsleadership Think Orphan Podcast – https://thinkorphan.com Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life, by James Kerr Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.  

In Episode 5, Eric Pfeiffer, Founder and Senior Consultant of MPWR Coaching and Collegiate Soccer Player, talks with Phil about emotional intelligence, dealing with insecurities, self-love, permission to fail, the journey of growth, and conflict resolution. Specifically, he discusses: His story and how his experience playing soccer intersects with other areas of his life and leadership (2:05) Emotional intelligence and why it is critical to success in soccer and leading others in any area of life (6:16) How coaching sports organizations is the same as coaching any other organizations (8:27) Insecurities, how they affect us in soccer and other areas of life, and how we can overcome them in sport and life (12:41) How self-love is different from narcissism and why the distinction is important to understand (17:46) Permission to fail and why it’s necessary to learn how to embrace failure and fail forward (21:01) How insecurities and emotional unintelligence manifest themselves in our lives (and on the soccer pitch) and why overcoming them is essential to flourishing in life (23:59) The journey of growth and phases of development for anything worth doing (28:58) Creating a culture that celebrates healthy failure (29:07) What soccer teaches us about conflict resolution and how we can work through conflict together in a healthy way (40:49) How he uses the lessons he learned from soccer in his marriage and parenting (47:19) His recommendation of a book that impacted his thinking of the intersection of soccer, life, and leadership (52:14) Resources and Links from this Episode Audio with subtitles available on our YouTube channel (video not available due to technical difficulties) MPWR Coaching website – https://www.mpwrcoaching.com Eric Pfeiffer on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-pfeiffer-53964b173/ How Soccer Explains Leadership Facebook Group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/howsoccerexplainsleadership Das Reboot: How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World, by Raphael Honigstein  

In Episode 4 of How Soccer Explains Leadership, Amanda Cromwell, Head Coach of UCLA Women’s Soccer, Former National Team member and coach, former pro footballer, and Olympic Gold Medalist, talks with Phil about vulnerability, recruiting, pursuing justice, and infectious influence. More specifically, she covers: Her experience in soccer and leadership from her club career, to University of VA, to some other cool stuff, to her current position at UCLA. (1:46) The most memorable leaders she has played and coached with during her illustrious career, and the qualities that set them apart from the rest (3:21) The critical importance of understanding and connecting with your teammates and players you’re coaching (6:10) Life and leadership lessons she has learned from the game itself (7:25) The importance of players, and all people, to experience and overcome adversity and failure early in life (9:50) What we can learn from our losses ad failings (11:27) Leadership lessons (and some insider Bruin lore) from her Final Four experience in her National Championship season at UCLA (which also happened to be her first year at the school) (13:33) How to foster a healthy culture in a team full of elite players, and the difficulties of choosing captains (22:07) The non-negotiables of a captain (24:57) What she looks for in recruits (and their parents), how she works to prevent signing problem players to her program and how she deals with viruses who slip through the cracks (26:19) How to keep players content and motivated when they’re on the bench, or worse, not in the Top 18 (30:29) How she cultivates a healthy team culture with a team full of differing world views, political views, demographics, and backgrounds, even when people disagree on important things (34:18) Resources that she recommends to us (53:43) Resources and Links from this Episode Audio with subtitles available on our YouTube channel (video not available due to technical difficulties) UCLA Women’s Soccer website & Social – https://uclabruins.com/sports/womens-soccer & @uclawsoccer Amanda on Social -- @CromwellUCLA (Twitter) & @coach_cromwell (IG) Corey Close on IG and Twitter --@coachcoriclose How Soccer Explains Leadership Facebook Group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/howsoccerexplainsleadership “All or Nothing: Manchester City” – Amazon Prime “All or Nothing: Tottenham” – Amazon Prime “All of Notiong: All Blacks” – Amazon Prime “The Social Dilemma” – Netflix “Take the Ball, Pass the Ball” -- Netflix How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, by Franklin Foer Failing Forward, by John Maxwell Think Orphan Podcast “Two Perspectives on Abortion” Episode -- https://thinkorphan.com/2018/08/21/episode-110/      

In Episode 3 of How Soccer Explains Leadership, Pete Kipley, Founder of Bolta Soccer, and Music Producer and Songwriter, talks with Phil about how his decades of experience in the music industry intersects with his new life running an indoor soccer training facility, and how both inform his life and leadership. More specifically, he discusses: His story of how soccer and leadership have influenced his life and how he ended up leaving the music industry to start an indoor facility. (1:43) His philosophy at Bolta Soccer and how they are curating, creating, and connecting in their development of trainers and players in their community (5:43) How breaking into and advancing in the music industry and the soccer world involve many of the same things (10:57) How the college soccer recruiting process prepares athletes for the world outside of soccer (14:49) What Pete has learned from the game of soccer as a man who has only recently fallen in love with the beautiful game, particularly what he has learned about the mental side of the game (19:44) The dangers and negative impact of parents, coaches, and other leaders micromanaging and pressuring the people they’re leading, and why it is critical to foster an environment allowing for a freedom to fail (24:59) How to deal with failure and “bad balls” in soccer and life (31:26) The importance of teamwork and teammates covering for each other (36:14) The common threads that Pete has seen in the best soccer coaches he has worked with in his life (38:24) Principles from soccer that he applies in his marriage and parenting in his home (and Pete gets really philosophical on this one) (43:53) Resources that Paul recommends to us (47:49) Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode Video of this episode --https://youtu.be/YhpON3tc7_E Bolta Soccer website -- https://www.boltasports.com How Soccer Explains Leadership Facebook Group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/howsoccerexplainsleadership “All or Nothing: Manchester City” – Amazon Prime “All or Nothing: Tottenham” – Amazon Prime “Ted Lasso” – Apple TV “Take Us Home: Leeds United” – Amazon Prime