The Art of Pursuing Unique

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There are trends, and then there is the space beyond them.

At our highest levels as coaches, we are artists. We have knowledge, acquired skill sets, and seek to learn how the very best are the very best. But at a certain point, our development requires us to follow our intuitions and pursue our unique vision that’s outside everyone’s sightline.?

Pep Guardiola never copied Johan Cruyff–Pep became Pep because he explored the space beyond Cruyff’s ideas.

Pep, Galileo, Einstein all pursued the space beyond the trends, which evolved the game they played along with its people and society at large.?

This is the Art of Pursuing Unique.

Here are the 5 main benefits of a coach’s willingness to pursue unique.

1. You become 1 of 0.?

Never sacrifice your creative instincts to be one of the pack.?

Aim to be 1 of 0 – not just different than everyone, but almost in a class that seems different to all of your contemporaries. You aren’t being different for its own sake; you are pursuing the space beyond your wealth of knowledge to unearth new developmental truths.?

Pursuing unique puts you in a class of your own.

2. You prepare players for the future game by pursuing it today.?

The match on the weekend is preparing our players for the match 5-10 years down the line.?

The result doesn’t matter; iterating on your unique vision does. Over a long enough time span, your players are not only more than capable at executing the highest level trends, they’ll be prepared to excel at the future game at higher levels.?

Pursuing unique gives players the best shot at pursuing their potential.

3. Your learning grows exponentially.?

If you are iterating in new space, the opportunity to learn grows exponentially.?

New problems emerge, so new solutions are discovered. This flywheel is powerful if humility and vulnerability are driving your learning process.?

This is how you truly become 1 of 0.

4. You become the most difficult opponent to prepare for.?

How can an opponent truly prepare for what they don’t understand??

In practical terms, it becomes impossible for opponents to prepare for your vision, which provides a better platform for your players to express themselves and grow.?

Your unique Organizational Vision, Culture Vision, Playing Vision, and Game Vision combined is a form of artistry your opponents will not understand, but will later come to appreciate.

5. You become the new standard.?

And with that, you evolve the game.?

When you see beyond the trends, you become the new trend. But the new trend is really a new standard that requires everyone who coaches the game to evolve and adapt.?

You also create the conditions for the next coaches to pursue the space beyond the new standard you have set, which grows the game and everyone within it (especially our players).

Conclusion

We are all creative beings.?

We are all artists.?

We are NOT meant to be contractors. We are NOT meant to be copycats. We are meant to be artists who not only teach our knowledge, meet the specific needs of our people, but also pursue the space beyond our knowledge (until we can teach that too).?

The grassroots coach, the Champions League winning coach and everyone in between, could and should pursue unique.?

Artistry, like development, is an infinite game that’s enjoyable for its own sake and can push the boundaries of what’s possible in any game we choose to play.?

So be like Pep, not by copying his ideas, but pursuing the space beyond them.

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