Gridiron Reality: Essential Business Lessons

Before the first trace of Fall’s crispness, football is underway across America. Whether in local parks, high school or college stadiums or on Sundays, athletes have donned their helmets and pads for another exciting season of this popular sport. Even if you don’t have a favorite team, you have to admire the dedication and determination of these modern-day gladiators.

There are also some essential business lessons that can be learned from this competitive sport. A number of years ago, Harris Interactive and Franklin Covey polled 23,000 U.S. residents who were employed fulltime within key industries across the country. The results of this large sample of employees were quite startling, especially when the data was compared to the game of football. Here’s what you might be facing in your Corporate Family™ too:

1. Only 4 of 11 players on your team would know which end zone was theirs.
2. Only 2 of your 11 players would even care about the game.
3. Only 2 people on your football team would know what position they played—and what they’re supposed to do.
4. All but 2 players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent!

Spend a few minutes considering how this gridiron analogy might be a reality in your organization. Like the results of the poll reveal, would only 37% of your employees report that they have a strong understanding of what your company is trying to achieve? Would a mere 20% say they have a clear line of sight between their tasks and the organization’s goals? Would just 15% of your team members feel that they work in a high trust environment? Would only half of your employees say that they are satisfied with the work they accomplish each week?

As you can imagine, none of these facts point to a winning season—whether in football or in your organization! The good news is that areas of weakness in your team can be improved upon with intentional effort. Every good coach knows that each season offers a chance to reinforce skill sets and incorporate new concepts into the game plan. At LEADon, we’ve assisted numerous companies across the country in making the adjustments necessary to become more productive and profitable—and we’re prepared to help you do the same!