June 22nd - June 27th, 2016
The air at Copers Cope on Monday morning felt different. The decision to seek help had been made, Gary had approved it, and now the real work began: finding the right people. Or maybe it was just the fact that I'd finally figured out which coffee shop near the training ground didn't charge me like I was buying liquid gold.
Emma had texted: "Week 4. You're basically a veteran now. Have you started complaining about 'kids these days' yet?"
"They're only 10 years younger than me."
"Ancient. Practically prehistoric. Do they call you 'old man' yet?"
"No."
"Give it time."
I was no longer just treading water, reacting to the daily crises of coaching a high-level youth team. I was a manager with a vision, and that shift in mindset permeated everything I did.
Gary had given me homework: write detailed job descriptions for each coaching position, identify the key attributes I was looking for, and be ready to interview candidates starting next week.
