
20/09/2025
When my kids were young, they were keen soccer players, and were fortunate to have an amazing coach. ⚽️
Studying leadership at the time, I was intrigued by the coach’s unique ability to achieve such great results with these young kids. After observing for some time, I came to see what it was. He made them feel that they mattered.
To every young kid he met, he got down to their level, looked them straight in the eye and said, ‘I’m so glad to see you here today’. I watched the kids almost burst with pride as they heard those words.
They mattered.
Someone noticed that they had turned up, and were glad they had.
I think as adults, we’re not too different.
We want to matter. Too often we see leaders comparing their people to their own idealistic view of what’s needed, and trying to change them, rather than truly valuing them as they are.
When this happens, people turn up feeling like they don’t matter, they can’t make a difference and are wasting their time, energy and talent. Not everyone aspires to be the CEO, but people universally want to matter - in life and in work.
So what can we do to show our teams that they matter?
We can start by focusing on strengths, showing people that what they do makes a difference, that what they offer is valued and appreciated, and by saying ‘I’m so glad you’re here’.
Try this with your team today. I’d love to hear about the changes you see as a result 🌸