Take a Leaf – or Several – from Carli Lloyd’s Playbook

Almost a billion people were expected to tune in and watch today’s World Cup match – and those who did were well rewarded. It was a killer match between the US and Japan, and the American women absolutely crushed it against a formidable opponent.

Carli Lloyd’s rapid-fire hat trick in the first 16 minutes of the game set the tone for the victory to come but other elements of the Lloyd story provide even greater inspiration for us professionals. Here are the takeaways:

Ignore the naysayers. Former US soccer coach Pia Sundhage publicly slammed midfielder Carli Lloyd last month, saying she was a challenge to coach when she felt that the coaching staff had doubts in her abilities. Lloyd brushed off the criticism and said in part that she found the remarks untrue and confusing, given her record of working hard and supporting major wins in 2008 and 2012.

The takeaway: Whether you’re an elite soccer player, a manager or a new hire, you’re not going to click with everyone – and sometimes those people might have power over you. That’s a good time to remember two things. One, you only have control over your own behavior – no one else’s – so all you can ensure your conduct remains unimpeachable (and perhaps even documented). Two, people come and go – so that critical supervisor or annoying colleague could very well be merely temporary irritations. You can get through it.

Push your team to do more. Lloyd has famously pressed for the US team to take more risks, to get bolder. You don’t need to have an important title on your team to do the same – Lloyd is respected by her teammates and that kind of sentiment is more powerful as a leader than any formal title.

The takeaway: Like Lloyd, your belief in your team’s ability to take on more, to stretch and go for big, audacious goals can be the matchstick, lighting the fire for the people you work with. As we saw today, one spark can be all that’s needed to generate unstoppable momentum.

Have faith your moment will come. We all have dreams, both unspoken and acknowledged. US Coach Jill Ellis told Lloyd they’d “find a way to get [her] going,” as The New York Times reported. In a short and powerful follow-up, Lloyd said simply, “I knew my time was going to come.” And come it did – in the match against China and again with Japan.

The takeaway: Try to adopt that selfsame confidence – generally, an unshakeable belief in yourself can help you weather the rough spots and setbacks.

Hard work drives your moment. Having confidence in yourself, although important, isn’t enough. You must drive the conditions that make your particular moment likely to happen. By most reports, Lloyd was not as effective defensively today but she soldiered gamely on until Ellis turned her loose on offense. But Ellis had that trust in her because Lloyd had proven herself in the game against China and through big, winning goals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The takeaway: Use your time to help accelerate your own professional moment; do your current job with full enthusiasm and dedication, look for those chances to give props to your teammates, come up with great ideas, cultivate internal advocates who recognize your abilities and achievements. The conditions for greatness are not serendipitous; we put them in place ourselves with unrelenting, patient work.

Be a class act. When Abby Wambach took the field in the second half, it was a nice moment for a player who has “more goals than legends like Mia Hamm or Pelé” but whose time in her role is likely on the wane. Lloyd took off her captain’s armband immediately and handed it to her, a gracious acknowledgement of Wambach’s place in the hearts and minds of the team.

Image credit: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images

The takeaway: Look for your own opportunities to give your colleagues credit, to angle the spotlight on them and not just yourself. It can be as simple as a quick note to someone’s boss, outlining a particularly helpful interaction you had with a direct report and indicating your appreciation. It can be as straightforward as giving credit where credit’s due in meetings (“Actually, Laura, that great idea was Anne’s brainchild.”). It takes just seconds to do the right thing yet it’s something that people always remember positively.