A Completely Different Game
My Leadership Playbook
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3.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
From the head coach of the United States Women’s National Team and legendary coach of Chelsea FC comes a book of hard-won lessons for leading a team to success on and off the field.
Few places will test your leadership skills more than the global soccer stage. For more than twenty years, Emma Hayes has led her teams to championship after championship, coaching her players through personal and professional setbacks, and becoming a powerful advocate for women in sports.
Available for the first time in print, A Completely Different Game shares Hayes’s inspirational, innately human approach to fulfilling the potential of those around her. Beginning with her upbringing in Camden and ending with her move to the US National Team, Hayes takes us through the events that shaped her and the critical leadership lessons she learned along the way. She also lays bare the difficulties that came with managing a women’s sports team in an industry designed for and catered to men, and makes a clear, actionable, and urgent call for equity in sports.
Generous, authoritative, and grounded in lived experience, A Completely Different Game will help you lead with heart, strength, and authenticity no matter what challenge you’re facing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this strong debut, Hayes, who recently became head coach of the U.S. women's national soccer team after managing the Chelsea FC women's team for more than a decade, outlines her leadership philosophy while sharing glimpses into the world of elite soccer. Recounting how she shepherded Chelsea through the uncertainty that followed the U.K. Foreign Office's 2022 ouster of the club's Russian oligarch owner over his ties to the war in Ukraine, Hayes contends that in periods of crisis, leaders should take time to understand the complexities of the situation and regularly communicate updates to team members. The guidance emphasizes balancing a "caring nature with a cold, professional ruthlessness." As an example of the former, she discusses the importance of attending to players' emotional needs, recalling how she had to cajole her starting 11 to show more appreciation for the other players. As for "ruthlessness," Hayes suggests that leaders sometimes need to put feelings aside and make hard decisions, such as cutting an underperforming athlete from the team. Hayes brings a welcome humility to the proceedings ("Do I screw up? On a daily basis"), and her candor bolsters confidence in her wisdom. The result is a rewarding guide for managing teams of all kinds.
