Lessons Learned From Chasing Plastic

How bossing children around can make you a better leader.

For over six years, I coached Ultimate Frisbee.

Not familiar with Ultimate? It’s a non-contact, self-refereed team sport played with a frisbee. It’s not exactly the NBA, but I think it is an incredible sport and I am thrilled that both my kids played.

So, each fall and spring, I would head to the field to coach elementary and middle school students at our small school. I worked with kids aged 8 to 14, all at different skill levels. Keeping them focused and motivated wasn't always easy. My tried-and-true technique was simple: if the kids didn’t listen, they ran a lap. But accountability went both ways—if I fell short during our practices, I did push-ups.

We built a competitive program that enjoyed a winning season every year, except once when we finished at an even .500. We also won two city championships and finished in second place in consecutive years. It was a ton of work, stress, time, and energy.

And I loved it.

Ultimate may seem like a ridiculous game, and I may be a bit ridiculous…