I learned a hard lesson today.
While coaching my son’s soccer game, I chose to be overly critical of my boy. He obviously did not respond well to that.
He shut down. Became hesitant. Withdrew.
My eagerness to correct him caused him to play more restrictively. Instead of playing the game freely, he was playing simply not to make a mistake.
After the game, I had to swallow my pride and apologize to him.
Fast forward a week. We have another game, and I am choosing a new style of coaching.
Give him space to play, explore, and be creative. Be encouraging and positive, and correct only when needed.
Shocker. He played great. He was flowing and having fun. He tried new things, some of which worked and some things didn’t.
Creativity is a wild thing. Sometimes the default can be to micromanage it due to a specific taste or system that is leading the charge.
But...
Creativity needs space and margin to fail, so that it can actually provide value and fruit. We cannot create when we are afraid of doing the right or wrong thing.
True creativity needs boldness and freedom. A freedom to fail, with faith that the next turn will reveal what you are after.
