5 Ways to Know You are Winning (Even When You Lose)

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My favorite year as a coach is one where we didn’t win until the final match.

This is what our past season looked like if you only knew the results:?

LDLLLLLDLDLLLLDLLLDLLLLLLLLLLW.

But that doesn’t tell the full story. It doesn’t even tell more than 10% of the story. This season was a win despite it taking 30 matches to win our first.

I can say this with 100% conviction.

But how? This isn’t delusion or some good PR. It’s the take of a person who tries to keep development as their navigation and values winning in the areas that are more under our control.

Although this framing gives us more control, it doesn't make the process any easier while we're in it.

Every coach wants to win every match they coach. But development is the only game we can continue to play even after the final whistle is blown. It’s an infinite game where we can win despite losing on the weekend and simultaneously create the conditions for long-term success (or more wins on future weekends).

Here are 5 ways to know you are “winning” even when you lose.

1. The Numbers Show Improvement

You will see improvements in the metrics that align with your vision.

Your vision for player development (Playing Vision) along with your vision for personal development (Culture Vision) have aspects that can be measured. For example, our team aims to control matches through proactive possession, and we improved in the metrics associated with that component of our Playing Vision. Pass strings (average length of possessions), penetrating passes, and final ? entries all improved over the course of the season.

Find the most important things to measure that correspond to your vision, work towards improving them and chart the results (wins) in those areas over the course of a season.

2. The Eye-Ball Test

You will see improvement over time.

Practices will reach new levels. Match performances will continue to improve. And individual players will start to experience their potential more and more often.

Build an awareness and appreciation of the growth that is happening in live time.

3. There is Big Step After Solving a Big Problem

You will see a big leap in development when you solve the biggest problem.

Several months ago, I detailed my team’s “extreme development” mid-season as a result of solving a major problem we kept running into. Every opponent was more physical/athletic and would pin us on the sideline during our build-up phase, and we were never able to progress the ball into the opponent's half. So I creatively solved the problem by creating a build-up structure that played without width, played to my player’s strengths, and allowed us to keep pursuing our vision in possession.

This change in build-up structure allowed us to grow from a team that played the game primarily in our own half to one that dictated the tempo of a match and where it was played.

4. Your Players Keep Coming Back For More

Despite the L’s, they keep coming back for more.

This doesn’t happen organically. A coach has to fight for it by educating and reeducating the players (and the parents) on the vision and its process. This message is its most powerful after a match (despite the result) when the coach is able to meet the players’ vulnerability with empowerment by reframing the finite match they just played as the next step in their development (infinite game).

Your ability to keep your players motivated over the long term regardless of the win-loss record is the greatest indicator of whether you are a Developer.

5. You are Consistently Competitive

Said another way, by winning at development, you create the conditions for winning more matches.

As a coach, you don’t have to choose between winning and development. This false dichotomy subtly conditions us to take shortcuts to win at the sacrifice of development. The real choice is between a focused belief in a developmental process that fosters long-term success OR taking developmental shortcuts that sacrifice tomorrow for a form of success that is unlikely to be sustained.

When your navigation is development, you create the conditions for long-term success.

Final Words

If your job depends on winning matches at any level, I empathize with you.

I would still argue development is always the best navigation, regardless of the level, but the pressure of winning right away will hinder any developmental process.

Again, easy to say, but harder to implement. The trend of coaches getting fired and replaced within a year for not winning enough creates a culture where leaders feel pressured to take shortcuts to keep their job, which means the overall product and people are not really pursuing their potential. Top developers like Mauricio Pochettino can get fired after a year when progress was made, but not enough in the eyes of its primary leaders (directors of football and ownership) who have the final say.

This only restarts the cycle again with another coach who has to exceed unrealistic expectations in too short a time frame.

My advice: Commit yourself to organizations where those with the power believe in your vision and are willing to support it over the long-term.

I’ve chosen that route. It allows me to develop players to the best of my abilities today, and continue building on that work for years to come. That’s a game we can all aspire to play.

I implore you to find (or create) organizations that see the wins even when you are losing.

Thanks for reading!

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