In Episode 61, in honor of her recent move to Baylor Women’s Soccer, we are recasting our interview with Michelle Lenard, new Head Coach of Baylor University Women’s Soccer and former DBU Head Coach, in which she talks with Phil about how to “steal like an artist,” her Leadership Council at DBU, how her team has used the Enneagram, what the game “Cutthroat” can teach us about leadership, setting and communicating clear expectations, the four H’s, implementing boundaries in our relationships, and servant leadership. Specifically, Michelle discusses:

• Her story, how she developed his passion for soccer, leadership, how she ended up at DBU (1:52)
• How we can “steal like an artist” – that is, some ideas that she has learned from others about coaching, life, and leadership, and how she has modified them for her program (4:35)
• The best leaders she has coached or played with, and what qualities set them apart from the rest (9:43)
• How the Leadership Council on her team develops, empowers, and delegates leadership to captains and other leaders in her program, and how it helps her coaching staff and has taken her program to another level (11:11)
• How she has used personality assessments to help her and her teams understand and work with each other better (16:19)
• The game, “Cutthroat,” how it has helped her develop leadership in her team, and how it translates to other areas of life and leadership (19:55)
• The importance of setting and communicating clear expectations (e.g., job descriptions) in your team members (e.g., coaches, players, employees), and how the 4 H’s have helped her team (24:53)
• How coaching and leadership are all about relationships, and that we simultaneously need to implement appropriate boundaries in those relationships (28:06)
• What she feels is critical for her players to internalize and “become” before they graduate from her program at DBU (30:53)
• How she uses the lessons she has learned through the beautiful game in her marriage, parenting, and other areas of her life, and vice-versa (33:42)
• Michelle’s book recommendations (39:45)

Resources and Links from this Episode

• Uncut Video of the Episode – https://youtu.be/2A5a3pHG7Ts
• Invest in HSEL Podcast – providenceworld.com
• HSEL Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/howsoccerexplainsleadership
• DBU Women’s Soccer website: https://dbupatriots.com/sports/womens-soccer
• Michelle’s Twitter handle: @MichelleLenard1
• Acton School of Business website: https://www.actonnga.org
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, by Austin Kleon
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck
• Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sports, by Stephen Rollnick, Jonathan Fader, Jeff Breckon, and Theresa B. Moyers
• God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs, by Tim Keller
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth