Who Would You Draft For Your Team?
The NFL Draft starts this week. For football fans it means that a new, long-awaited season is upon us. For non-football fans… I don’t know what to tell you. I know the Super Bowl was only four months ago but for fans like me that is a long time.
Anyway, let’s examine what the draft looks like. No… let me start with where my love for football began… when I was younger. Sundays at my house consisted of pizza for dinner and watching the NFL. The feeling of cozy fall days and cheering on your favorite team, or the underdog, to victory, was so fun! I married a football player, I have two sons who played football in high school, and one son also played in college. Basically, we bleed football. Team camaraderie is forever in my bones. I mean… my husband knew that Trista Sutter’s chosen suitor on the first season of “The Bachelorette” was a Carolina Panther before the rest of Charlotte knew it. He played for a minute but ultimately found true love elsewhere.
So, back to the draft. The whole science of drafting a team is so complex to me. Just think, if you could draft a family what would it look like? If you’re married, would you keep the same spouse? If you have children, do you add more to the group? Do you add your current friends and maybe a few celebrities who you think would be cool? It’s incredible to think how each part requires certain characteristics to fit into the bigger dynamic of a family.
Now… think about trying to do that with a bunch of men between the ages of 20 and 40! Ha! Who wants that job?!?
I can’t wait to find out who will become a Panther. The suspense is real! Young men who have worked their whole life for this moment will find out where their new home and team will be through one announcement. Their lives change in an instant. Did you know… only 2% of the college football players turn pro? That is approximately 1 in 50.
The decision to draft a particular player is crucial to a team’s success. Drafting a player doesn’t necessarily mean he will make the team. That part is on him to show during the pre-season.
So, how do you draft players who will fit your team? Here are some key ingredients whether you are looking to draft a fantasy football team, adding new employees to your growing business, or choosing ladies for your city’s KNOW Tribe.
Choose Wisely. Don’t choose only by ability or performance. Choose also based on desire, commitment, and how well information and direction are received. From my experience, being coachable outweighs talent a lot of times!
Make A Plan. What does your team’s future success look like? Look for leaders on your team and look for people who are smarter than you. That’s right! Learn from your peers. A good leader can admit what they don’t know and empower others to take the lead.
Get to know the members of your team - however big or small the group is. Why join a team or a group if you aren’t willing to put the work into building a relationship with each person? Being on a team is about lifting people up; bringing out their full potential. If they rise so do you!
Know Your Role On Your Team. Whether that is in the family, at work, in a civic group, or playing for the Panthers. If you know your role then it is easier to be “all in”. When everyone knows his or her role it is easier to pull together for the common goal like winning a Super Bowl.
Above all else, teamwork takes discipline; something a lot of people don’t have. That’s probably why only 20% of businesses survive their first year. Discipline is training people to obey rules and issuing consequences for when the rules are broken. At Henderson Properties we feel it is crucial to our success to have a company handbook with policies in place. We need to be sure everyone is treated equally. Rules and accountability do just that. Some people don’t like to be held accountable, but in order to build a team or, be part of a team, we must be willing to be a part of the teamwork and discipline it takes to have success. “A high tide lifts all boats.”
Here’s to all the young men who’s lives will change this weekend. May they show us what true teamwork and leadership look like on and off the field. And may my fantasy team finally take home the trophy!
Cheers,
Shelly
