Life lessons in business and football

This week was the Big Game.  I get together with family and spend time binging on food that is not good for me.  I watch the game and live-tweet it for the fun and entertainment of my friends.  One of the things that strikes me about the event is that these teams have reached the most significant event in the sport and for a casual football fan like myself, I do not know the players on either team except for Peyton Manning.  This tells me that football excellence depends on many people working well together instead of superstars condescending to get something done.  This week on the blog, I received some lessons about being a small business from a professional football.

My biggest lesson is that no one person is more significant than the team.  Peyton Manning may be the sole superstar I know in the Big Game, but he did not get to the championship solely by himself.  He needed offensive linemen to prevent big, angry linemen from stomping on his neck.  He needed receivers who could catch the big passes when he needed them.  Finally, he needed defensive players who could force the opposing team off the field in three downs.  Without that, he would go another season being unfavorably compared to his brother, who owns two championships to his one.

Next, leadership matters.  When Peyton joined the Broncos, he took charge of how the team practiced offense and even when it practiced.  Since he has a track record of success, the others on the team quickly adopted his methods and the team went from mediocre to playoff caliber. This leadership of Manning and the team's ownership made a huge difference.

I think the final lesson I learned during this football season is that a bunch of no-name players working well together are better than superstars. The Seattle Seahawks, with the exception of Richard Sherman, seem like a quiet and hardworking bunch of guys.  They do not care about their no-name quarterback or if they do not have stars on the field b, but together, they are a defensive powerhouse.  As someone who grew up with the 1985 Chicago Bears and the Super Bowl Shuffle, I can relate to this group of guys.

So, for me, the lesson of this weekend is that teammates matter, superstars are overrated, and leadership, whether it comes from a quarterback or a coach is essential to success.  We at E₃ Systems would love to help make your business more successful; contact us today and ask us if we can help.

It will be sad when football season ends tonight, but when all the dust settles on Monday, I assure you that we can all learn some lessons from football.

Until next time.
I know in the Big Game, but he did not get to the championship alone