ToC and Soccer

I'm coaching my son's under 12 recreational league soccer team. It's made me think about some of the fundamental principles of ToC: you're only as strong as your weakest link(s). So identify the constraints and elevate them.

I've got kids that desperately want to play as center forward who can't sprint and have no endurance. But if they don't have to move much they're pretty much a brick wall when the other team comes their way. Hmm...sounds like he may be better as a defensive player. I've got other kids who can run all day and zip in and out of guys and if you put them in defense the next thing you know they're on the other side of the field trying to make a break-away goal and you've got a big hole in front of your goalie.

The trick is to play the cards you've been dealt and to maximize the strengths of each individual. We'll see how it goes and how well I can pull this off when little Johnny's parents want to see him make a goal for the camera and I've got him blocking shots.

But it also makes you think about how different we are to those kids jogging up to you before the game asking to go in to play forward and the guy going into his boss for a promotion. We probably each have our own blind spots and would like to think we are CEO material when maybe we really should be pointing at another goal.