How Do You Cut People From The Lineup (World Cup Roster Edition)

Leaders have to be able to deliver bad news. 

Gregg Berhalter, who just announced the final roster for the 2022 World Cup, got to tell 25 players the glorious news. 

And, he got to break 15 other players’ hearts. 

Here are his tips on cutting people from lineups and preserving your relationship as the leader:

• Tell them the news right away—no reason to make them wait. 

• Let them know they can have time for a follow-up conversation about this. They’ll think of something after the call, and they need to hear they’ll have the chance to ask it, if they want, on another occasion (because let’s face it, the shock of the news, you might not think of something you wanted to ask until later). 

• Stress that this is only a moment in time. It’s a “right now” decision. They could be back in the next rotation if they keep at it – this lineup does not dictate who they are OR who they can be in the future. 

• Finally, give them the rational context for the decision. 

I can only imagine what it feels like to be one of those 15 “almost” players. Hearing Gregg explain how he delivers this news makes me appreciate who he is as a human and as a coach. 

Hear it for yourself on Men In Blazers Do it Live! With Gregg Berhalter.

bonus! (“Gregg’s gonna lay down the law…”)