Leadership Lesson from the World’s Worst Soccer Coach

Recently, we signed my 3-year-old son up for his very first soccer league. A few months before the league began, I got the email:

“We need more coaches. Please consider volunteering to coach your child’s team.”

I waited a few weeks, hoping someone else would volunteer, but nobody did.

So guess who is the new head soccer coach for my son’s 3 and 4-year-olds division soccer team?

Me.

If it were any other sport, I would have jumped in, but I never really played soccer. I have no clue what I’m doing.

I am the world’s worst soccer coach.

The first game was absolute chaos. My worst fears were realized. These kids knew less about soccer than I did.

My team scored a few goals, but they were for the other team. They didn’t listen to me. They used their hands. And worst of all, most of the poor little kids were overwhelmed from all the parents yelling and burst into tears.

I could barely keep players on the field. At one point, I only had one player in the game and he was more focused on playing with grass than playing soccer.

I panicked. The eyes of all the parents were on me, and I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt like a failure. I couldn’t even keep enough players on the field.

But then I remembered what they told me at the coaches meeting. These are 3 and 4-year-olds playing soccer. Nobody expects to win the world cup. The number one priority is to celebrate the little things.

So I shifted gears and began celebrating the smallest wins with the biggest high fives.

• “Hey, way to run fast!”
• “You kicked the ball! Great job!”
• “Way to go! You got back in the game!”

The game was ugly, but we made some progress towards the end. And we have gotten a little bit better every week since.

So what’s the point?

The point is, when you feel like everything around you is falling apart, don’t forget to celebrate the little wins.

In ministry, things often do not go the way we plan. In those moments, go back to the basics. Focus on the fundamentals of ministry and celebrate them.

You may feel like the world’s worst pastor, but I’d wager you are doing better than you think.

• You may feel your sermon was terrible, but afterwards, that lady said it was exactly what she needed to hear. Win!
• Giving may be down a little, but that new family came back again this week. Win!
• You may need more volunteers, but the volunteers you do have, faithfully show up every week ready to serve. Win!

It is easy to get so wrapped up in the things in ministry that bother us that we forget to celebrate the little wins.

However, focusing on all the problems is not going to help anything. Instead, start where you are at. Celebrate every small win.

Every big win is built on the backs of hundreds of small wins.

Don’t forget to celebrate.

You have probably heard this before. I had too, but I still needed this reminder.

How about you?

What small win do you need to celebrate this week?

Who do you need to encourage?