There is no final destination when seeking to become an impactful leader. It is process of constant discovery and development. Leaders often are not given a clear roadmap that shows the exact steps on how to become highly effective. Instead they must navigate their way through challenges, always aiming to do what is best for both the people they lead and the organizations they represent.
Effective leadership involves ensuring the people around you are engaged in both the work they do and with those with whom they work. Achieving engagement across an organization can be challenging, but the benefits are worth the efforts.
A leader must know themselves and their organizations well. They must know their values, how those match with organizations' needs, and how their skills can help the organization stand out. Leaders are constantly making decisions on behalf of many and must find ways to balance the needs of all.
As a soccer official, one of the greatest challenges is managing people when emotions get involved. Frustrated coaches and players often mean the officials have to work harder to keep the game in control.
It is because of these emotional moments, that I have learned the importance of acknowledgment.
Far too many officials are walking away from their avocation. A shortage of officials is being suffered at ever level of sport all over the country.
Recently, I led a survey of 17,487 officials of all sports across the country for the National Association of Sports Officials. In that survey, the vast majority of all officials said they started officiating for the love of the game. No, their first reason for joining wasn't for money. In fact, money wasn't even in the top 10 reasons for beginning to officiate. It was all about the love of sports and the desire to work with athletes. But, if officials started for the love of the game, what causes them quit? Or, why don't more people join? Clearly, there are many people who enjoy being involved in sports.
Margaret is a professional speaker with expertise in inspiration and leadership.
She was a FIFA soccer referee for 10 years and was the only American official in the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015.
