Tryout season is a busy stressful period for everyone involved. There is a lot of hype and anxiety that has been created through the process that has evolved as the “way it goes”.
While this can easily be the case, we try and look at tryouts as a great experience and as a way to show more people a glimpse into what Rush Soccer is. Taking the approach where we put our best foot forward and leave it up to the players and families to decide to be a part of what we are doing instead of adding the stressful process is a great approach.
What we have found is when plans and philosophies are sacrificed to “recruit” a player, it generally turns into a bad experience. Have you heard of the story of the Southwest CEO and how they handled complaints? The story goes:
There was a lady that called complaining about everything under the sun. She called so many times and so often that the customer service department didn’t know what else to do to make her happy. The situation escalated all the way to the CEO’s desk. The CEO called the upset customer and told her he is sorry but he is removing her from their system and asked her to find a new airline. Confused, the lady asked, “Why aren’t you trying to make me happy and fix the concerns that I have?” He replied “Mam, we at Southwest work very hard to provide an affordable and enjoyable experience when you fly with us. We are proud of what we have accomplished. We would rather our customers be here enjoying our services because they like what we do instead of customers who would rather us be more like them and get in a constant state of change.”
The moral of the story is, to be honest and know your worth. Have a plan and be willing to stick to it no matter the outcome. Trust in the process and eventually people will want to be a part of what you are doing.