Underdogs for the win
When I was a kid, my soccer team won everything. League after league, tournament after tournament. My Mom used to laugh and call us a bunch of misfits… with a lot of trophies.
We beat teams with more technical skill, more travel players, more finesse. But here’s the thing—man for man, we weren’t the most talented. But we had something the other teams didn’t.
We knew each other.
We knew our positions so well that we could focus on mastering something even more powerful: communication. Most of it nonverbal.
I could tell from the angle of Shannon’s run that she was about to cut back and cross to me.
From the way Danielle looked up and shifted her hips, I knew she was going to make a run and pull defenders with her.
We weren’t born mind readers. We trained that skill.
We studied each other. We studied patterns.
We were so attuned to the tells and micro-cues that we could predict—milliseconds early—when we were about to lose possession. And being that one step ahead? That’s how you control the game.
Bottom line, we knew and trusted each other. We trusted each other’s strengths—and each other’s weaknesses.
I trusted that my right wing would cross it to the back post. So I was already there.
And she didn’t even need to look up—she trusted I would be.
I knew who had a weak left foot, and when I needed to position myself a bit closer to compensate.
That kind of trust wins games. And for us? Championships.
But it takes practice.
It’s built through a shared language.
Through practicing so many reps that responses become instinct—not strategy.
It’s creating flow state, on demand.
Have you ever read The Inner Game of Tennis?
I devoured it at 18. I was building a business with my Dad based on the psychology of improvement. And what I found was that the science was clear—the moment you get in your head, you’re out of the game.
And [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], have you noticed that the same is true at work? For you and your team.
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Here’s the part no one talks about:
At work, we obsess over the technicalities: execution, deadlines, deliverables.
We try to do it all, carry it all, mask the cracks.
We hide our weaknesses—terrified someone might notice.
But that’s where we lose our edge, when everything starts to break.
Winning teams don’t hide their weaknesses.
They know them, share them, and build strategy around them.
They know when to sprint toward the ball.
They know when to double back, pitch in, or call for backup from the bench.
Because great communication isn’t about having it all together or being perfect.
It isn't about saying the right thing. (If you’ve done even one workshop with me, you already know: it’s never about what you say—or how you say it.)
It’s about reading the field.
Reading your team... Tone. Timing. Body language. Energy.
It’s about trusting each other no matter what—not because you’re perfect, but because you’re honest.
Because real excellence doesn’t come from flawlessness.
It comes from fluidity.
From being open enough, attuned enough, brave enough—to shift roles, shift tone, shift direction—without ego, without hesitation.
That’s what we did on the field.
That’s what BRAVE® teaches at work.
When your team stops hiding their gaps and starts communicating through them, you don’t just move faster.
You win—together.
Even if you’re the underdog.
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A few weeks ago, I had a team share their internal noise (their weaknesses or even just their fears of weakness) with each other and almost immediately, they were bonded. They built rapport. They trusted each other more. They supported each other more. They trusted themselves more.
And guess what? Their next sprint went better, smoother than any before that.
What more can you ask for? :)
Here's to building teams that win, even as the underdog.
Bravely,
Elisabeth
