Most Recent Writings
Jalen Brunson and The Talent Paradox: Talent is essential to success, but success is not determined by talent
Teams focus so much on acquiring the most talented people that they lose sight of the intangibles that actually drive success in any highly competitive field. The humility to prepare. The commitment to continually improve. The confidence to perform in the most critical moments.
Ignore the “Unimportants”: Why was Cooper Kupp Overlooked?
As Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp was preparing for the 2017 NFL Draft, he was largely overlooked by most scouts and teams because he went to a small school and was labeled as slow at a position where the NFL covets speed. In 2021, he put together one of the all-time greatest wide receiver seasons in the history of the league and is widely considered one of the best and most impactful players in the NFL.
Chris Ballard Building a Winner in Indianapolis on “Colts Character” and Collaboration
You can sense Ballard’s humility in that nothing is really about him and he has no ego when it comes to sitting in the GM chair. He has everyone focused on building a better football team, and it ends there. As an evaluator, Ballard is not looking for the “sexy” player. He’s just looking for football players and people that can make his team better.
Finding ‘Our Kind of Guys’: How Chris Petersen Built A Winning Team Culture on Intangibles and Character
Petersen’s success all starts with a complete understanding of who they want to be as a team, and the great alignment they were able to achieve in their player evaluation and selection process, all of which centered on having an emphasis on finding players with intangible character traits that aligned to the program’s core values.