Every time I log into LinkedIn, I see posts that start with, “What [insert random life event here] taught me about B2B sales,” or something along those lines. Even Fernando Mendoza, Heisman Trophy winner and CFB National Champion, hopped on the trend back in January.
While some of these posts are legitimate and others are satire, it dawned on me recently that different aspects of life can teach you more about your professional career than you may think. My working journey has been split between being a jack-of-all-trades creative communicator and a soccer coach, and what I’ve come to realize is they’re more similar than they are different.
As a coach, I spend my time breaking down complex ideas into digestible information, adjusting and adapting in real-time, and connecting with people who all think and learn differently. As a creative communicator, I do those exact same things every single day. In fact, I often find myself taking lessons I’ve learned from communications and applying them on the field (and vice versa).
So, humor me a little while I write my blog post about what coaching has taught me about creative communications.
Table of Contents
If you have to repeat yourself, your message wasn’t clear.
For the past year, I have been coaching a U10 girls travel soccer team. Before that, I coached high school soccer. Obviously, the way you communicate with high school players who are more knowledgeable and experienced will differ from how you speak to nine-year-olds. I had to learn that the hard way.
I will never forget one of the first practices where I tried to explain a drill and was met with a bunch of blank stares and at least ten follow-up questions. What should’ve been a two-minute explanation turned into a ten-minute clarification session because my communication was so unclear. Absolute coaching fail.
As a creative communicator, if I share a social post with an unclear caption, hand over a design that is cluttered and lacks information hierarchy, or write content with overcomplicated messaging, I’m losing my audience immediately. Clarity should be the priority to ensure the message actually sticks.
Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.
Coaching is a highly personalized endeavor. Every player is different; they’re motivated by different things, they have different learning styles, and they love different aspects of the game. There are times where I catch myself making assumptions and decisions without consulting my players. What I should do instead is take the time to learn from them and decide the best course of action based on their feedback.
The same can be said about the clients we work for and the audiences our clients want to target. As a subject matter expert, it’s easy to take over and dominate decision making. However, effective communication starts with listening instead of talking.
I always aim to give my players autonomy and opportunities to be decision makers, and anyone serving clients should do the same. Discovery calls, audience research, tone alignment, and involving your clients every step of the way are opportunities to work as a team and create a better end product.
Research. Research. Research.
Two underrated parts of coaching, in my opinion, are finding and implementing new drills in practice, and reviewing film with the team. Why?
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The same rotation of practice plans gets stale after a while, and they don’t help players grow.
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The best way to gain a competitive advantage is to study your opponents to see how you can capitalize on their strengths and weaknesses.
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Reviewing your performance as an individual and as a team is the best way to improve your own game.
In a similar vein, I need to stay up-to-date on the latest software, tech, trends, and client competitors to ensure I’m constantly evolving as a creative. If there’s something I can do to push the bounds of what’s possible and help clients cut through the clutter, I should be doing it. Research is the best way to get there.
People need to know the “why.”
I have learned that I create more buy-in with my soccer players when they understand the reasons behind drills and game strategies. A new defensive drill or formation change that is valuable in my eyes will not come across the same way to my players if I fail to explain the reasoning behind it.
Now, let me put that in the context of creative communications.
Clients choose to work with creatives because they see them as the expert. Don’t just do and ask them to sign off; explain your design choices, strategies, and messaging directions. More often than not, clients will be more likely to trust your decisions when they understand the reasoning behind them.
Adapt and problem solve on the fly.
Almost nothing goes as planned as a coach. I should have fifteen players for a game, and I end up with exactly eleven. The drill I worked out in my head ends up being a disaster when I try it at practice. One of my players gets a red card and we have to play a man down the rest of the game. The list goes on and on.
What good does it do if I panic? I rile up my players and plant a seed of doubt in them because they see that I don’t know how to respond. These are the moments where it’s imperative for me to be cool, calm, and collected.
Similarly, in fast-paced careers, you have to be able to pivot. Last-minute design needs pop up with zero starting direction, social media posts have to be taken down immediately and reuploaded because a link broke, clients change their mind and want to completely rework their content. It happens.
Success is never about everything going as planned. The best way to grow is by quickly and confidently adjusting when plans change.
Learn from your mistakes to keep growing.
Athletes are at a high risk of dropping out of sport when they do not feel confident and supported. That’s why I never hold mistakes against my players. Missed shots, weak passes, and bad touches are opportunities to learn, grow, and do better next time.
As a creative communicator, there have been countless times where I’ve designed something that really missed the mark, wrote something that a client didn’t like, and created videos or social posts that underperformed.
Instead of beating myself up over them, I use them as learning opportunities. The best creatives learn how to iterate instead of pretending to be perfect.
Have fun!
Energy is contagious. If my players aren’t enjoying soccer, they’re not going to perform at their best. I need to make sure I’m bringing positive energy to every practice and every game, even when I’m not feeling my best.
The same goes for creatives and their clients. Engaging content, positive collaboration, and good creative energy make all the difference. Creative work should be fun! Be the energy your clients and your team needs!
The CLAW effect
Coaching has reinforced something I see play out in creative work every day: Clear Communication, a willingness to keep Learning, consistent Adaptability and a Winning mindset always set you apart.
At Vendilli, we bring that mindset into every project. If you’re looking for a partner (with quite a few coaches across different sports) that is passionate about helping you grow, we’d love to work with you.
