Using the word WHY to connect with your team!

If there is one thing I learned in law school that applies to coaching it is the importance of asking questions.

What I'm finding these days is the most important question I can ask my players is WHY?

To be specific "What's your WHY for playing soccer?"

I'm a huge fan of Simon Sinek and his Golden Circle (pictured). I agree that we all need to Start With Why.

If you ask one of your athletes WHAT they do they will most likely tell you "I'm a [INSERT SPORT HERE] player." Ask them HOW they do it and they will probably mention waking up at 6 am to lift weights, going to training, eating healthy, playing in games etc...

But if you really want to connect with them and understand your players ask them WHY they play. Their purpose! Their reason for getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go lift those weights. What drives them to come to practice, to struggle through injuries, to sacrifice going out with friends on a Thursday night because they have a match the next day...

Many of my players have very profound reasons for playing the game. They have shared things I never knew about them. Reasons that make me admire them because they have struggled to get where they are today. At times their purpose for playing has brought tears to my eyes. On a few ocassions I've also found that perhaps they don't have a healthy relationship with their sport (a topic for a future blog).

While every player's WHY is different each time I've asked the question I've learned something powerful about them as people. As Simon Sinek says "nobody cares WHAT you do they care WHY you do it." Understanding the WHY for each of your players not only explains their motivation but it also can influence yours as a coach. WHY each of the women on my team play soccer motivates me to be the best coach possible for them.

What's your WHY?