John O ’ Sullivan
|| COACHING
John O ’ Sullivan
The Way of Champions
Coach O ’ Sullivan is a former college and professional soccer player as well as a high school , club team and college coach .
“ Coach , can I talk to you ?”
“ Sure ,” I said . “ What ’ s on your mind today , Michael ?”
“ Well , I just want to know what I can do so I get to start more games and get more playing time as a center midfielder . I don ’ t think I am showing my best as a winger , and my parents tell me I am not going to get noticed by the college scouts unless something changes .”
“ Well Michael ,” I said , “ there is something that all coaches are looking for from the players they recruit . In fact , it is exactly what I am looking for from you as well . If you approach every practice , every fitness session and every match with this one thing , I think you will see a huge improvement in your play , regardless of where you play . Interested ?”
“ Of course , coach . What is it ?”
I waited a moment before I answered to make sure he was listening .
“ You have to stop asking what you can get and start asking what you can give . You must serve .”
Michael furrowed his brow as he tried to process what I told him .
“ You want me to serve the team , like with food ?”
I smiled , “ No Michael , serving others is the one thing that unites successful people , from friends to employees to athletes to business owners . The great ones know that to be more they must become more , and to become more they must serve others .”
“ So , you are saying that instead of asking what I can get from the team , I should be asking what I can give to the team ?”
I wanted to leap out of my chair and hug him .
Michael got it . It ’ s not about him . It ’ s not about me . It ’ s about service . The tool that would eventually earn him more playing time and increase his chances of playing in college ? Serving others by focusing on what he could give , instead of what he could get .
My great friend and coaching mentor , Dr . Jerry Lynch , is the founder of Way of Champions and the winner of 34 NCAA titles and one NBA World Championship as a sport psychologist and consultant . He calls this paradigmshifting question the most effective question an athlete can ask , and an attitude that every coach must try to instill in his or her team .
We live in a world these days where self-centeredness and a “ what ’ s in it for me ” attitude of entitlement is far too prevalent . In the age of the selfie , Instagram , Facebook and a million other
ways to say , “ look at me ,” the concept of teamwork and the importance of service to others has gotten lost in the shuffle .
This is very sad , because service to others is the exact thing that athletes need , not only to become elite performers , but the type of athlete that coaches look for , celebrate and fight over at the next level . Do you want to stand out from the crowd ?
Start by serving everyone in that crowd .
Far too many athletes bring the attitude of “ what do I get ” to practice and games . They want to know how they can :
» Get to start
» Get more playing time
» Get to play my favorite position
» Get to score all the points / goals
» Get to work hard when I want to
» Get to show up ( physically and mentally ) when I feel like it
» Get to give less than my best because I am an upperclassman
» Get attention as the star player
Sadly , this is the path to short-term satisfaction at the expense of longterm development and high-level performance . This attitude does not promote success ; it inhibits growth on and off the field , the court and the ice .
20 | Soccer Journal