"Ben's like the commander, like the general," said Hamid. "It's different. I've never really felt like I'm fighting for the general. I feel like I'm a cadette in his army. It feels good. The guys want to fight for him."
This quote struck me as indicative of inspirational leadership (a specific term that describes one of six leadership "domains" in a popular leadership framework). A lot of people were critical of DC United's hiring of Olsen. Although Olsen's dedication to the club is unquestioned, many people thought he was too inexperienced to lead the team. My opinion is that Olsen's lack of experience is more than offset by the attitude he brings to the team. Unlike most other soccer coaches, who bounce from club to club, Olsen has been the face of DC United for much of his career. The payoff comes through inspiring kids like Bill Hamid to play harder, and to understand that commitment to a cause (in this case, DC United) larger than yourself has real performance outcomes. Short of playing for someone like Jose Mourinho or Guus Hiddink, I'd much rather prefer to play for Ben Olsen over a more experienced (yet transient and uncommitted) coach.
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