Do you know your role?

I recently listened to a Podcast in which Alex Morgan talked about understanding her role on the US Women’s National Soccer Team. She shared her thoughts on how she could make an impact on the team given the role she had.

Alex Morgan is one of the best Women’s Soccer players in the world and she discussed how she was a "bench" player when she first made it on the National Team. The role she was given was to come off the bench in a game (usually second half) and impact the game as needed. She didn’t play every game, and sometimes the coaches would tell her to warm up and not even put her in.

Was she satisfied with being a bench player? No. But that was the role that was given to her at the time, and most importantly the role her team needed her in at the time.

So, when she got the opportunity to go on the field she tried to have make an impact for her team. Regardless of the amount of time she was on the field.

She knew her role. She understood how to execute that role effectively for her team. All while staying hungry for more, as she knew she had more to offer the team. For the last 6-7 years, Alex Morgan has been a starting forward for the US Women’s National Soccer team.

So how did she go from a bench player role to the starting forward role?

The biggest thing was her mindset!

She accepted what was out of her control; the role the coach gave her. And focused on what she could control. Like how she played when she did step on the field, how she supported her teammates from the bench, how she focused on improving every day in practice. She didn't let the one thing she couldn’t control consume her.

She decided to focus on her attitude (in her control) and put the team first. She knew what the team most needed from her was the role of coming into the game second half to make an impact. She decided to have a good attitude about it, work as hard as she could in that role. And continued to improve, show up on the field, and make the impact that was expected of her when she did get on the field.

Ultimately, she was having such a big impact on a game in the times she came off the bench, that she earned that starting spot. She executed the role exactly as the team needed. The coach saw that and found a way to make that role develop into a starting position.

Oftentimes we struggle with the role we’ve been given. Maybe it’s the role you have in a group project or on your team. If you want to change the role you are in, the best thing you can do is to focus on what you can control. Show up for yourself and continue to improve 1% every day.

What is your role and how are you showing up every day to execute the role your team has given you?

If you would like to chat about the role you’ve been given and how you can accept and own that role, schedule a free consultation!