Give Them the Platform to Be Great: Leadership Lessons from Jesse Marsch
By Enio Sacilotto
It is great to see Canada’s men’s soccer team achieve their first World Cup victory by defeating Qatar 6-0. Leading this historic team is their American coach, Jesse Marsch, who is gaining attention worldwide for his coaching methods.
Marsch has had a successful coaching career with stops in the USA, Austria, Germany, England, and now with the Canadian national team. From an interview clip with TSN’s James Duthie and insights from TSN soccer analyst Kristian Jack, we can learn important lessons about leadership and coaching from Jesse Marsch.
Sports teach us many lessons that apply to both competition in sports and our daily lives. In a game, as in life, there are many peaks and valleys. We experience great plays that lead to goals, alongside mistakes—some significant, some minor—bad calls by officials, lucky moments, and unlucky ones. During the game against Qatar, one player, Ismael Kone, broke his leg in a controversial play, stirring a range of emotions among the Canadian players, including anger, frustration, and empathy for their teammate. Navigating these ups and downs while maintaining emotional balance is crucial for success.
Techniques like mindful breathing and focusing on what you can and cannot control can help maintain this emotional balance. According to Marsch’s thoughts, “Empathy for the player is important, but you must also think of the team and how crucial he is…”
During this segment of the game, he gathered his players, offered them words of encouragement, and received updates from the locker room that Ismael was okay and wanted the team to continue playing. Marsch described the situation as “resilience through controversy—everything came together by the end of the game.” When athletes overcome controversy with resilience and achieve success, they begin to believe in themselves, and belief is a powerful tool that fosters team confidence. Marsch describes this as the “rawness of connections—player touch points for one another.”
An essential lesson for all coaches and leaders is to be facilitators. It is important to understand that the teams we lead belong to their members. At the end of the day, it is their team; we need to provide them with the tools, guidance, and support they require. We must also know when to step aside and allow them to be themselves. As Marsch puts it, “Give them the platform to be great!” During the game against Qatar, he did just that, stepping back and allowing the players to shine, saying, “You saw the greatness before your eyes!”
After the game, Marsch faced criticism for how he celebrated the team’s victory. He portrayed his players as humble and aimed to help the fans feel the strength of that connection, which led to an extended display of emotion and celebration. He referred to himself as “the confident American,” demonstrating his self-awareness. Being aware means being mindful, and as leaders and coaches, we must always be conscious of our behaviour and understand what players need in various situations. Marsch exemplifies this mindfulness as a coach. Duthie discussed this in his clip with Kristian Jack. The takeaway is that while athletes should exhibit humility, it’s also acceptable to have swagger. There is a clear distinction between swagger and cockiness; swagger reflects strong self-confidence and self-belief, whereas cockiness often conceals a lack of these traits.
In the final part of this article, I would like to highlight how Duthie and Jack explain how Coach Marsch gets all his players to buy into his system. First, the coach is very mindful and self-aware; he recognizes that the game, the team, the country, and this World Cup journey are much larger than himself. The players appreciate his leadership and the way he celebrated this historic Canadian victory.
Marsch displays authenticity; he does not pretend to be someone he is not. His leadership style is relationship-oriented—he embodies transformational leadership that equips players with the skills to reach higher levels.
We often discuss accountability with our players. However, before we hold our players accountable, we must first hold ourselves accountable. When he makes a mistake, Coach Marsch is the first to admit it and openly addresses it with both the media and his players.
As leaders, fostering transformational relationships rather than purely transactional, outcome-based ones enables authentic communication that nurtures respect and trust. Where there is trust, authentic relationships can flourish.
The lesson is clear: by coaching as a transformational leader, we can achieve maximum buy-in from our players, and the results will follow.
Jesse has gained the support of his team, the country, and the world media. To demonstrate his commitment, Coach Marsch has renewed his contract with the Canadian National Soccer Team for four more years, continuing his mission to develop young men both on and off the field.
View Canada Prime Minster’s address to the Canadian National Team after the 6-0 win over Qatar:
Enio Sacilotto is the President of International Hockey Camps and runs the Mental Edge High-Performance Training. Enio has 44 years of coaching experience (professional hockey in Europe and the Victoria Royals (WHL)). Currently, he coaches at the Burnaby Winter Club Hockey Academy, is the coach of the Serbian U18 men’s National hockey team, and is the Head Coach with the Burnaby Steelers. If you have questions or are interested in his services, contact Enio at enio@coachenio.com or call 604-255-4747. Website: www.coachenio.com.