This past summer, our athletic department staff read and discussed The Messiah Method, a book about the Messiah College men’s and women’s soccer programs. From 2000–2010, their combined record was an astonishing 472-31-20. That kind of dominance is almost unmatched in college soccer—or any college sport, really.
Interestingly, the book wasn’t written by a coach but by a business professor at Messiah. He was curious about how such success was built and sustained, so he studied the program closely. He then wrote a book based on the seven core disciplines the program that he saw the program lived out consistently. They were:
Pursue a higher purpose than winning
Be intentional about everything
Recruit “both-and” players
Cultivate team chemistry
Link all training to the match
Choreograph game day
Play to a standard
It’s a fascinating read, and honestly, I encourage you to read the book. Or, if you’d like me to do a series of posts diving into it more, contact me and let me know. But for now, I want to pull out two ideas that stuck with me—two practices that can immediately impact how you coach and lead.
This line from the book has been rolling around in my head ever since I read it. I actually put the saying at the bottom of a weekly email I send to our coaches. Of course, we play to win (nod to Herman Edwards). We owe it to our players to know the game, prepare well, and create an environment where they grow the skills needed to compete. Practices should be specifically transferrable to performing well and winning games.
But winning isn’t the point. The deeper point is Growth, joy, and Relationships. It’s teaching selflessness, how to handle conflict, what it means to be part of a community, and how to stick with hard things. At Messiah, the coaches never shied away from competing at the highest level—but they kept the bigger picture front and center.
One of my early years as an AD, I saw how this discipline can go off the rails. A coach (a great guy, by the way) handed his team a pregame schedule that included a time to “get pumped up.” He didn’t ask what the players planned to do, and he didn’t supervise it. When I walked by at one of their early games during their “pump up” time, I found the team jumping up and down, chanting with vulgar language that was totally out of line—especially at our Christian school. The coach had no idea, but by then, the damage was done. This kind of felt like a tipping point for some reason in the season and they never really recovered on or off the field.
By contrast, I’ve watched other teams in our department choreograph game day down to the details. They practice routines. They plan transitions. They leave as little as possible to chance. And when the whistle blows, they are locked in and ready. That level of intentionality doesn’t guarantee a win, but it eliminates unnecessary distractions and sets the right tone.
Would Love to hear your thoughts on this or the book if you’ve read it!
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Things That Are Making Us Think
One thing that is making us EXCITED is that we are getting ready to release an ICP Coaching Online Course. We are likely having people start testing it out next week. All our paid subscribers will receive the course for free once it is ready ($99 value).
Listened to a great conversation about character last week on the Daily Stoic podcast with General Stanley McChrystal. Check it out here.
