What should a coach do when his trusted star player is having an off day? No one likes to be subbed off in the middle of an important match. Certainly not the likes of Ronaldo or Messi.
Football is played for over 90 minutes. Hours of coaching go into preparing for a single match. Strategy, tactics, set pieces, open play — each player drilled endlessly on what to do with and without the ball. Beyond on-field preparation, trainers, therapists, sports scientists, sports psychologists — all brought in to coax the optimum performance out of the players for those 90 minutes.
And still. No guarantee of success. Not even when you are the best coach in the business.
Every player is a human after all. Everyone has an off day.
It might start with a small unfortunate incident — one mistake leads to another, confidence drains within minutes, and somehow the player just can’t score anymore. Or it starts with a few losing battles against an opponent — imagine a defender facing Messi for the first time — and before long the player loses the plot entirely. Instead of sticking to the coach’s plan, he starts making his own. And now his individual decisions are affecting the positional play of the whole team.
Football isn’t a one vs one game.
What does the coach do? Start by yelling instructions from the sidelines. If the player can’t find his way back, decisive coaches make the ultimate call — substitute the player, bring in reinforcements.
That’s football.
Isn’t it similar to creative projects?
We take on projects, make the best possible plans, divide tasks, assign trusted people to execute them.
How quickly things can spiral.
One team member loses his grandmother. The mourning takes over, and the speed of working is seriously affected. Another faces an unexpected Messi-like quantum of incoming client feedback and starts making new plans to manage the pain — unknowingly hampering timelines and complicating the workflow of everyone around him.
What should the leader do?
Have a clear distinction between leading and coaching. In the middle of a project, it’s all about leading — there’s no time for coaching. The focus is on delivering. Either yell corrective instructions from the sidelines, or sub off the player and bring in reinforcements. Coaching happens before, or after. Never during.
Instructing: When there’s a fire and time is running out, firm and decisive instructions are critical. Be clear that the actions are taken in the interest of timing — not personal sentiment.
Replacing: This is the hardest call. When a team member is not performing, sometimes someone else has to take over — internally or freelancers. No one likes being replaced. It is natural to feel hurt. After the fire is out, have the conversation — why certain decisions were made, what was at stake. It’s not personal. It’s simply not “I don’t like you.”
The leader’s role is to ensure the team delivers, and that everyone gets to enjoy the success. In the middle of an active project, avoid lengthy justifications. Feelings may be hurt. Egos bruised. Confidence shaken. But addressing the individual is coaching — and that comes after the match, and before the next one.
You can’t let Ronaldo’s ego bring down the hope of one nation.
Which leads us to coaching.
Leaders manage. Leaders command and control. Coaches teach and help people grow. It’s a major shift — from “tell and get things done” to “listen and help.”
Coaching is exhausting. It starts with being attentive and empathetic. Assessing the member’s strengths and weaknesses before setting — or resetting — goals and expectations. Motivating after setbacks. Unlocking potential that the person themselves may not see yet.
There’s a time to lead, and a time to coach. The difference between fighting a fire, and preventing the next one.
Which raises the harder question — what if someone is simply uncoachable?
Should the leader still invest the time? That’s a conversation for another day.
