Emotional Intelligence
As Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Soca Warriors lead up to these two crucial games against Bahrain on November 12 and 16, it is important that T&T administrators, coaches, players, T&T media, and supporters use emotional intelligence. We have to concentrate on ourselves, and not be distracted by the recent psychological warfare by Bahrain. We cannot worry about issues that we cannot control. We should be concerned about what we can control, and that’s ourselves. At this point, focusing on ourselves is a requisite.
According to Emerson, an organizational behavior theorist, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters as compared to what lies within us.” In addition, John Maxwell, a renowned writer and speaker on leadership, states, “I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you – we are in charge of our attitudes.” Whatever negative happenings have occurred within the last week, let’s turn them into positives. Conflict is inevitable in our lives. Conflict is not the problem; it is what we do with the conflict is the problem.
Despite the recent developments, I believe that Leo Beenhakker and his staff have remained unperturbed. I spoke to Lincoln Phillips twice within the last week, and the central theme of our discussions was for us to stay unified and positive. Regarding the players, I know they understand the history of 1973 and 1989. This cannot happen again! The job of the players is to prepare for the games physically, tactically, and psychologically with one aim in mind: victory. Qualifying for the World Cup will be a historic moment for T&T, and its implications will be far reaching for the future of our country.
To T&T Soca Warriors fans, at this time, support is essential, be passionate, but try to refrain from negativity. To all of us in the callaloo, administrators, players, coaches, T&T media, and supporters, it is imperative that we participate in emotional intelligence.
One goal - Germany!
Trevor Leiba
