The Genius of the And

Last weekend I read The Messiah Method. It features the soccer program at Messiah college, but in essence it is a book about leadership. It’s a quick read with a lot of anecdotes and quotes from the coaches and players in the Messiah soccer program. I certainly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in leadership in soccer, or in sports in general.

A lot of things about the program made an impression on me and will definitely shape my coaching and leadership philosophy.

High standards

• They pursue a higher purpose than winning. This helps unify and motivate the team so they continue to work hard and strive for better performance on and off the field even when they are already champions.
• Emphasis on doing thing the right way over achieving short-term results. Messiah follows a system of play outlined in their team agreements, a set of conventions they agree to follow in order to help the team play effectively. The coaches vigilantly enforce the system and tolerate abberance even when it yields positive results. But the team agreements can be amended as coaches and players develop.
• They use the phrase “play to a standard” to describe this practice and teach players to strive to play a perfect game.

Intentionality and attention to detail

• They are very intentional in everything they do. From the training session plans and pregame rituals to the hosting arrangements for visiting recruits and the speed on the treadmill during training, every detail is considered and designed to lead the individuals and the team towards their common purpose.

Emphasis on unity and self sacrifice

• There is a strong belief in team chemistry, and that working together toward a common purpose, the team is greater than the sum of its parts. They are intentionally pursue team chemistry at great cost.
• Players are taught the importance of serving God, the program, the team, and their teammates above themselves. They work for each other, for the program and for God, and that sacrifice and common purpose, as well as communal suffering in training and “forced family fun” unites the team into a powerful force. Rather than a collection of people coordinating a plan to achieve a goal together, they are a tribe, a family on a mission.

Both-And mentality

While every aspect of the philosophy and program are inextricably linked, I was especially interested in the recruiting chapter since I develop recruiting software for college coaches.

The author uses the phrase “both-and” to describe the type of players they recruit to Messiah. This concept is taken from Jim Collins research and the concept of “the genius of the and” which says that great leaders, when faced with an apparent paradox that requires an either-or decision between to good things, choose both. For recruiting at Messiah this means they don’t settle for recruits or are good players, but not a great culture fit or for guys who have great character and would build up the team, but can’t play. They choose both.

That decision not to settle but to go after elite athletes of excellent character alongside their intentional focus on building a strong culture, pursuing a greater cause and setting high standards has led to the success of the program.