Throughout our professional paths, we have all experienced different work environments, staff members, and dynamics. Some of these experiences are great, and others are poor, and it has always been interesting to me to analyze and dissect what made a particular environment great or poor. What made the staff connect so well and work smoothly in a synchronous fashion, or what made them really struggle as a unit? To me, two main factors keep on coming back to the surface: leadership and what I call “the connective tissue.”
In every club and department, leadership comes from the top down. Having great, well-versed, and experienced leaders is a game changer for an organization; not only do they have to be good at their job to earn the respect of their staff, but they must also be great managers of people. These leaders must be strong, direct, clear, and concise, but they must also have empathy and an inner sensibility for the people that work under them. Through my experience, I have had the special opportunity to feel both ends of this spectrum. To me, these moments were invaluable parts of my career, as I got to see and feel the good, the bad, and the ugly. In my world, the general manager, sporting director, and head coach are the key leaders on the soccer operation side, which is where the high-performance department operates. There is a famous saying back in Europe stating that “the fish rots from the head down;” I mention it because it is a good metaphor to visualize that poor behaviors in leadership roles will trickle down and negatively affect the rest of the team.
To give some clear examples, here is a contrast based on my experience:
On one hand, we have a leader who is punctual and has a rigorous meeting schedule with the different departments – a leader who asked questions to get full context, made clear decisions, and gave concrete direction while empowering people to execute in their own way…
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