Kill the Unicorn

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Kill the Unicorn

By: Emma Hayes, Michael Calvin - contributor

Narrated by: Emma Hayes

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About this listen

How do you get the best out of people? What does it take to make a team thrive?

Few people know the answers better than Emma Hayes. As the coach of Chelsea FC Women, she has led the club to 14 major trophies. She is a widely celebrated figure in sports media as a woman starting to get equal recognition in this space, and has been named TV pundit of the year by both Broadcast Magazine and the Sports Journalists Association. In 2021 she was named Best Football Coach by FIFA, in 2016 she was named MBE in the Queen’s 90th birthday honours list, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE for her services to football.

In her first ever book, written in collaboration with internationally best-selling author Michael Calvin, Emma shares her experience of managing a high-performance football team to draw out life lessons and techniques that listeners can apply to their own professional and personal circumstances.

Narrated by Emma herself, it’s also a fascinating look into the world of women’s football told by a woman at the centre of it, with frank, entertaining anecdotes from on and off the field.

Coaching

Football (Soccer)

Sports

Women

Inspiring

Thought-Provoking

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This was a surprisingly good book, well told and read by of one of the top women football managers in the English game. Chelsea have been massively successful in women's football and listening to Emma explain her reasoning, emotional intelligence and tactical acumen - her intelligence and team preparation shine through. As a leader, she seeks fairness, honesty and integrity from her players, which she also demands of herself - but in return she is sympathetic to the pressures, social media and temptations that the 'always on' generation face.

I replayed one or two chapters, as some of the points she made, were very pertinent and thought provoking. This is not a 'fly by the seat of your pants' manager, but someone who thinks deeply of how she can develop, prepare and help her team and individual players grow and be successful. Rather than tell lurid stories of nights out on the town living the glamorous life - Emma talks candidly of her son and being proud to be a mum, with all its ups and downs, and how she balances being a parent in a very demanding work environment.

Emma's career in football is still a work in progress, her achievements at Chelsea will stand the test of time. Whether or not she is going to manage at an even higher level, elsewhere was not discussed in any great depth - but she is a high achiever and sets high standards and goals. It is clear she is not only capable but ambitious. If the right opportunity for her talents were to arise, then she would have a difficult choice to stay or go.

Emma's work in looking after her (female) footballers to ensure their well being is central to her philosophy, in particular, to protect them during their menstrual cycle, steps she has taken are practical and pioneering. With ACL injuries in women's football being more prevalent than mens - her thoughts and experience on the subject, shine a light on a subject that should be researched in greater depth than currently. It is an issue which needs to be addressed to ensure women at all levels of the game can enjoy playing football, without the fear of a 'career' ending injury.

An enjoyable and thought provoking listen.