Trusted Advisor Blog

As Super Bowl XLVI draws near, there will be no shortage of articles, analysis and predictions for coaches and players of the Patriots as well as the Giants, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Business managers and parents take note, whether you enjoy the game or not, coaching football requires many of the same decision making processes you face as an employer and a parent.

Employees and children, just like athletes, exhibit inherent strengths and weakness. Do the most successful coaches focus on fixing weaknesses; or do winning coaches focus on improving strengths? Additionally, how can these systems be applied to parenting and management?

From what I have learned on sports fields, at home and in business, the most successful leaders do not fixate on weakness, but rather apply their efforts on enhancing strengths to get the most from their team – be it a corporate team, a team of family members or a pro-sports team. Knowing we cannot each excel individually at ALL things, winning leaders create teams that triumph by working together rather than forcing all members to attain one set of uniform skills.

Bill Belichick did not become the successful Super Bowl winning coach that he is by taking NFL MVP quarterback Tom Brady and directing him to learn how to kick field goals. He instead recognized Tom’s innate strengths and surrounded him with individuals each possessing their own talents, to create one cohesive, high performing unit.

Belichick identifies strengths and then coaches’ players to become stronger and tougher physically and mentally; he brings out the best in each player so together they can be a winning team. As Belichick affirms, “there is an old saying about the strength of the wolf is the pack, and I think there is a lot of truth to that. On a football team, it's not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how they all function together.”

However, as parents and employers, we often focus our attention on correcting what we perceive as flaws rather than encouraging talents. We compare and contrast. We seek to perfect the imperfect.

Unless a skill set is a required part of an employee’s position and cannot be delegated, our time is better spent polishing the instinctive communication talents of a natural salesperson rather than teaching them to crunch numbers.

Time is money. If personality is primarily inherent – your return refining inborn talent far exceeds trying to transform a quiet, studious child into the class president. Accept what you observe as a talent that energizes the employee or child, cultivate the asset and it will become even better.

By placing ego aside, you will spend your time keeping your eye on the ball, which improves your chances of hitting it, rather than keeping your eye on the strike zone and all the potential areas of failure that exist outside of it.

Doing one thing very well is better than doing many things adequately. Be remarkable at what you do. Your strengths will compensate for your weaknesses, and when you are part of a team at work, home or on the field, your teammates will step up and do their part and together you will be successful.

Learn more about Jeff Palermo and the dedicated individuals that have contributed to making his team one of New England’s most successful, closing over $191 million in the past three years, and ranking among the top in the nation.