“Did you do a huddle with Grace’s soccer team?” My 3rd grade daughter Sarah asked after I had finished coaching my younger daughter’s soccer team last Saturday morning.
“No, I forgot to do it again, Sarah.”
It was the third week in a row that Sarah had asked me this same question.
Each week I responded that I forgot.
In reality, I knew about the huddle and had remembered that Sarah’s coach had done it in prior years and some of the other coaches of the teams we faced did huddles as well.
In those three weeks I sometimes would remember right before the game started or after the game had ended but I just could not bring myself to do it.
I had a number of excuses that I made to myself:
“The kids are only in 1st and 2nd grade.”
“It’s too late now. If I coach next year, I’ll make sure to start making it a practice right from the beginning.”
“It’s not that big a deal if I do it or don’t do it.”
So yesterday morning it came as no surprise as we got into the car to head to the soccer games when I heard Sarah’s weekly refrain with one slight change:
“Are you going to do three huddles this week?”
“Three Huddles?” I asked Sarah.
This week Sarah elaborated a bit more than prior weeks.
“Sure, one before the game, one during halftime, and one after the game.”
“I don’t know why,” Sarah continued, “but the huddle gives me confidence and it’s more exciting.”
As we got out of the car and Sarah headed to her field and I went to another field with Grace, Sarah shouted to me, “Don’t forget to do the huddles today Daddy.”
Now I had no excuse.
Knowing Sarah was right, I did all three huddles and not only was the team more excited and played with more energy during the game, but, I was more excited as well.
And thanks to a late game goal, we ended up with a 1-1 tie.
(The girl on our team who scored the goal just moments before had complained to me that she was getting tired. Which I had replied with, “if you are tired, guess who is tired as well? That’s right, the other team.”)
If only we had made the penalty kick a few minutes earlier
As my younger daughter Grace and I walked over to Sarah’s field, somehow I was excited when Sarah asked me “Did you do the huddle today?” and I could proudly answer,
“We did three.”
Sarah was proud of me and I was proud of her for making me a better soccer coach.
Who’s holding you accountable to ensure that you are getting better at being an ambitious owner?
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