Game Plan: First Find The Leaders

I know I have been posting a lot about leadership and team chemistry issues over the past few weeks, probably more than I have about “basketball” stuff, but it is because (even though the season has yet to start) I sense that this is an issue we are struggling with lately. I read a great story today from an old issue of Business Week that reconfirmed my feelings.

The article discussed how the Maryland Terrapins Soccer team, after appearing in six-straight NCAA tournaments, suddenly fell from grace. Not only did they fail to make the tournament the seventh season, but they lost all but one of their Atlantic Coast Conference games, ending the season second to last in the ACC.

Coach Sasho Cirovski says it was his fault. "I was recruiting talent, I wasn't doing a very good job of recruiting leaders." As a result, the team didn’t have a strong leader and cliques began to form, eroding team chemistry. He had a deep roster of talent, but he didn't have a "glue guy" that held them all together. Without a strong captain who had team respect both on and off the field, he realized he couldn't compete at a championship level.

In the season preceding the teams fall, the coach had relaxed the rules and unknowingly sent the message that the players could manage themselves. It was only after realizing the reason for their fall (lack of leadership on the team) that Cirovski decided to tighten up on the team rules. Not only did he now require that his players live on-campus, but that they live together in a team dorm. He even coordinated bus seating and room assignments to help develop certain relationships.

He has also changed his philosophy in recruiting players. He looks for the best personality fits for the team, wading further down the list of star athletes looking more for leadership qualities than talent.

What have all these changes accomplished?

His team has been to four straight College Cup appearances (soccer's version of the Final Four) and, last year, the national championship.

AUGUST 21, 2006 Issue of Business Week

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