Most Important Skills For A Managing Director At Street Soccer USA

For my job, resilience has always been important. I've been leading this chapter in Sacramento for a little over 10 years. We started with all volunteers; there was no money, and nobody was getting paid. We even did car washes to fundraise for trips.

Starting something and growing it is a challenge in itself. About 10 years ago, soccer wasn't as popular as it is today. We had to spend a lot of time telling our story and talking about the value of that. I've probably told my personal story and Street Soccer USA's story at least twice a day for 10 years.

It feels like the work is never done. You're always looking for opportunities. You might have some big wins and feel like you can rest and plan, but then something else comes up. It's about getting used to these waves of highs and lows. Nothing is permanent, but you can't give up.

You also can't have thin skin. My personal story, connected to being a product of Street Soccer USA's mission and model, has been one of the best selling points. Telling that story is incredibly effective, but it can be tiring. It means I'm constantly talking about myself and my lowest points to strangers to get them to support us.

You have to be willing to market the organization. It's not about me; it's about my team. I have to do that to ensure they have what they need to do their jobs. I have to care about people because I'm around them all the time. If I didn't enjoy that or couldn't build relationships, I'd be very unhappy.

Technical work like building budgets and strategies can be learned. But what you really need is heart and passion. You have to be able to deal with discouraging moments. I've been told "no" so many times that if I had given up, we wouldn't have anything. There's always a "yes" somewhere, and you can't take the "nos" personally.

You really have to be resilient and able to set your own goals, both for the organization and personal ones. It's easy to feel like you can't measure your effort, especially when you're helping people. Our metrics aren't solely based on money, even though that's something we have to show.

When you surround yourself with really good people who believe in the mission, it helps. And because we still get to play, it keeps us energized. It's not all work, but it's not entirely play either.