After most weekends, my societal adventures tend to offer pages of stories about customer service blunders. This weekend, however, I started to think about something that I couldn't get out of my head into this morning. When this occurs, the only way out is either write about it or get drunk. Thanks to blogger and because getting drunk on a Monday morning would show some traces of a bigger problem, I shall write.

I coach indoor soccer for a team of 4-5 year-olds; one of the players being my son, Justin. One thing about kids that you can always depend on is their pure honesty. I like to watch kids in all kinds of situations to see their unrehearsed approach to the world around them. I try to learn from them, because, God knows they're not learning anything from me. This past Saturday we had a game and only 4 of my players showed up. Being a 4 on 4 league meant that all players would see a plethora of playing time. Although in instructional leagues coaches aren't suppose to judge player talent, it's not difficult to point out the athletic players from the players that are simply there because their parents signed them up for something. My 4 players this weekend happened to represent the core group of the most athletic I have.

Since coaching 4-5 year-olds is fundamentally an oxymoron, and because I didn't have to do any creative put-some-players-out-there-who-know-what-they're-doing-to-supplement-those-who-don't roster switching, I started to watch my guys in a different light and I started to learn something about my leadership habits in the process. My players were Billy, Dominick, Brennen and my aforementioned son Justin. Billy is by far the one who understands soccer the most. He's our highest scorer (not that we keep such stats) and he's our fastest. He also understands that his team is suppose to score in one particular goal and that he is suppose to stop the other team from scoring in his goal. If you've ever coached kids this age, you know how valuable that is. Billy also has some idea that he can utilize other players on his team when he needs to. Billy's problem is that he has no interest in practicing or warming up. He fools around, doesn't pay attention, does things wrong even though its a skill that I noticed he has in a game that I'm hoping all of the other kids can pick up. He's not defiant, he's just not interested in practicing.

Dominick and Brennen are stellar practicers. They both have an unteachable understanding of the game and they are fast as well. They listen very well and they perform every drill with precision. In the game, however, they have flashes of greatness coupled with stints of total confusion. They are both very smart and very analytical. You can tell that Brennen concentrates primarily on defense but if he finds the ball at his feet on a breakaway, he runs around in circles. Dominick loves to dribble the ball down the field and away from other players, but probably couldn't score if the goal were 3 times larger.

Justin isn't really interested in soccer but gets by (with most things in life so far) on athleticism and a love for competition. He doesn't listen in practice and doesn't do anything real spectacular in a game, but he stays with the pack and he understands what needs to be done. If the ball comes to him he tends to know what to do with it and if other players on his team need help, he's your guy, especially when it comes to needing a little muscle for protection. Soccer isn't what Justin is interested in. If he was allowed to take a hockey stick out on the field, he'd be Billy. But until he's 5 he's going to have to settle for soccer.

This game was interesting because, even though we aren't suppose to keep score, we were obviously losing by a whole bunch. My kids were tired and the other team had more players. Most teams in this league don't post blow-outs so our team was a little shocked with morale issues. At some point during the game, I couldn't help but relate what I was seeing to the business world. I'm no Bill Parcels, but I do understand the phenomenon of targeting and utilizing people's strengths. I just do it in a less glamorous capacity. Kinderkicker soccer brings this into a more innocent perspective.

Billy is my "go to" guy. I rarely have to manage him and although I depend on him greatly during the game, I rarely have to say anything to him. His reward for this is extended playing time (more work). I also look to him when we need a quick throw-in or a critical goal kick (cool projects). Because of his practice habits, however, I never choose him to perform a drill as an example for others (reporting or team representative in staff meetings). Dominick and Brennen hold a special place in my heart. They are wonderful to manage in practice but need a little coaxing when it comes to the real world. They are very methodical and can't multitask like Billy (better when concentrating on a few areas of expertise). They do, however, hang on my every word and I want them to succeed (management interns). I rarely have to get them to listen in practice and I always use them to show us how to do a drill (project planning). Justin is a management nightmare. He's raw skill. He doesn't care to learn anything about soccer and if he doesn't score a goal he's really not bothered. I do, however, need him (dependable in emergency situations). He's almost a "go to" guy thanks to his talent and his competitive nature, but he doesn't do some of the little things that Billy does (purely technical, no interest in management).

I know I can't be the only person that's ever made these comparisons, but remember I'm trying to run a page dedicated to technical management here. You've seen people like this in all areas of business. A team is not a team without players like this. A manager is not a manager unless he or she can notice what each player brings to the table. "But wait", you might say, "this applies to all teams not just technical ones." Congratulations, Dominick, I mean Brennan, I mean Dear Reader. You get a gold star. That's exactly my point.