how i’ve learned to be a leader. officially.

When considering the vast amount of jobs around the world, most people would probably overlook referees as people who develop the characteristics to be effective leaders in the workplace. I am currently in my tenth year of refereeing (colloquially called “reffing”), and have learned countless skills and traits that I have been able to use in my academic and professional life. Beyond shaping me to have the correct array of mindsets and abilities to be a great leader, reffing has also helped me with communication, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and being comfortable in typically uncomfortable situations.

When I started reffing soccer back in 2006, I was 12 years old and had no idea that I would be immensely passionate about officiating the sport just years later. I was more excited to go spend the ten dollars I made reffing an under-fives game at Cracker Barrel than I was about the potential of making a career out of reffing. Very quickly, though, I became a stand-out among the other new and young referees. The older guys took an immediate affinity toward working with me. Since I was getting assignments with more experience referees, I began to pick up on things that were a little advanced for my level. Nothing huge, but I started to take a genuine interest in the intricate mechanics of reffing, and I really started to realize just how technical being a great referee actually is.

By the beginning of 2014, I had worked my way up to the NCAA level. When I became certified to officiate college soccer, I was ecstatic — probably mostly due to the fact that I had a seed of guilt in my belly for deciding not to play in college at the end of high school (my parents were not terribly happy about that decision). In the two years I have spent reffing college soccer, I have gained immense knowledge on the most beautiful game, but have also developed amazing habits that can be translated into the workplace.

Likely my greatest take-away from reffing college soccer at a young age is that you do not have to be older or more experienced than the people you are leading. A great leader can inspire and motivate people in the workplace, regardless of title, position or pay-grade. Out of the 17 NCAA Division I soccer games I have officiated, I have been the youngest member of the referee crew every single time. Many of the refs I work with ref at the highest level possible in the United States. Regardless, I strive to have the energy, attitude and work-ethic to inspire my more experienced peers and superiors.
One particularly beautiful aspect of reffing soccer is that different positions assign different levels of authority on the field. Both coaches and the other referees submit to this authority. There is a referee, two assistant referees (ARs) and an alternate, or fourth official (AO). The referee has the final decision on any call or ruling, though they use the other officials to ensure correctness when delegating sanctions, dealing with injuries, or tending to disputes in the bench area. I am often assigned to the referee position, which means all the more experienced referees I was mentioning are working in what a reader may consider a “subordinate” position. This reality helped me become comfortable with adopting a leadership role among people who are more qualified than me. Leading in the work place is not about getting people to be as good as you, leading is about getting people to be as good as they can be as one cohesive unit.

The amount of teamwork and communication that contributes to effective reffing would probably surprise you. Most people have no idea the extent to which soccer referees communicate on the field. These interactions happen in split seconds during crucial moments in the game. The ability to communicate clearly and quickly in a particularly high-stress environment has served to help me be leader in the workplace.

People always say, “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” While I do not necessarily agree with that, I can say that in general, the referees I work with, especially at the college level, love what they do. During pre-game discussions in the locker room, the referee always gives a long talk on how he or she prefers to handle specific situations, and what steps we need to take as a referee team to ensure we are doing the absolute best we can. One thing that even the greatest referees always include in their pre-games is to “have fun.” The best referees are some of the most charismatic people on the field. You can look at them in the face of authority and controversy, and can still tell they are loving it just as much as the players who are competing. You have to be charismatic to be both a great referee and an inspirational leader. Finding a passion for officiating has helped me learn the importance of having a positive attitude in the workplace, because every time I walk out onto the pitch, I see the way my disposition affects the rest of the crew, the players and the coaches. People do not need to have a face-to-face conversation with you to see how you feel about what you are doing, they just need to watch you do it. When you half-ass it on the field, you get eaten alive. And when you half-ass it in a traditional work environment, you cannot lead those around you. You have to be passionate to inspire, because if you do not have passion to give, there is none for anyone else to receive.

When I became a referee ten years ago, I had no idea how far I was going to try to take my career as a soccer official, and still do not (though I am not going to stop pursuing further accomplishments anytime soon). I didn’t understand the intricacies of reffing, or the value of leadership in a traditional work environment. I failed to do it for any reason besides to make a little money on the weekend for me to spend during the week as a young kid. As I have come to have a better understanding of leadership and seen the effects of the invaluable lessons I can learn on the field, though, I have become inspired by some of the best referees in the United States to be a great leader, and to instill my passion and charisma onto the people around me. Walking into an office full of people with a case of the Mondays and seeing their attitudes change as a result of being positive and uplifting is an amazing thing. People overvalue their jobs and undervalue their happiness. Working is not about planning for happiness in retirement, it’s about enjoying the walk of life, wherever it takes you, while it’s taking you there. Leaders transform the workplace, and can come in the form of interns, managers, cubicle workers or CEOs. Too many people wait until they are in an authority position to try to lead, but no one can lead without experience as a leader along the way. So if you’re an intern reading this, you can be a leader; you can inspire your boss, you can make them laugh. You can show them the value of loving what they are doing. If you can learn to love what you are doing, you are an unstoppable inspiration; you are a leader.