Lessons Learned: What the US Women's World Cup Coach Can Teach Us

The US Women’s World Cup team has inspired the nation during a time when many of us have been particularly hungry for a good news story.

And there are a number of lessons about life and leadership that we can learn from this group of impressively athletic, focused and engaging ladies.

A great deal also has been written the past few days about the leadership of their coach, Pia Sundhage.

Sundhage has been credited with using her leadership to bring together this group of women and to unite them in a common goal, while also helping them to strengthen their individual talents and to work together as a team.

Here are some lessons that can be gleaned from Sundhage’s example:

• Don’t micromanage. Sundhage’s players consistently describe her as “laid back” – not a phrase that is commonly used when referring to highly successful coaches. But if you think about it, it makes sense that this leadership style would be effective, because it means that she is trusting her players to do their best and does not feel the need to be overly controlling.
• Model calmness. Even under excruciating pressure, Sundhage’s body language is calm and collected. She does not lose control of her language, does not yell and does not do anything to fuel the anxiety level of her players. Instead, she calms them down by modeling calmness herself.
• Let people make mistakes. This coach is known for letting players try new things – and for not beating them up too much verbally when they make mistakes. It takes a certain amount of courage to let the people around you make mistakes. We want to avoid embarrassment ourselves, and it is tempting to want to appear successful and together along the way. But the truth is that we learn from our mistakes – if we are given the freedom to make them.
• Listen. Sundhage is known for listening far more than she talks. This means that when she does talk, her players listen. It also means that when she talks, she is well informed because she has spent so much time listening and analyzing the needs of her team.

It’s been a great deal of fun watching this coach and her team pushing toward their final goal of a World Cup championship. And the lessons that we have learned really can help us throughout a lifetime.