Team WORKS! by Chris Valletta

Author:Chris Valletta [Valletta, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78279-668-8
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
Published: 2014-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

Not yet convinced? It might help to know that every great player in every major sport achieved their greatness through their own personal “redshirt” program. Tiger Woods is known for his absolute domination of the professional golf tour, but his redshirt program began when he was a small child, and it consisted of hundreds of thousands – maybe even millions – of golf swings. Redshirt athletes have gone on to win national championships, Heisman trophies, and all manner of accolades.

NFL teams often do something very similar. Many teams invest heavily in players who will contribute only sparingly in their first season or two. They hire extremely talented young players, and then give them time and seasoning in a backup or special-teams role to become familiar and comfortable with the speed of the professional game. For example, college star Aaron Rodgers sat for three years as Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay, and then emerged from Favre’s large shadow to become an even more effective quarterback than his legendary predecessor. Rodgers currently holds the NFL record for the best single-season and all-time quarterback rating, and has Super Bowl MVP and AP Athlete of the Year accolades to his credit.

People frequently cite Michael Jordan as an exception to the rule, as he stepped right in to basketball stardom at North Carolina. But MJ’s personal redshirt experience was harsher than most: he was actually cut from his high school basketball team! Can you imagine anyone telling Michael Jordan that his basketball skills were just not quite up to par to play at the high school level? That’s exactly what happened. This “redshirt opportunity in disguise” motivated him to work harder, prepare better, and, ultimately, to develop into one of the greatest talents ever to play the game. He showed up at North Carolina as what Coach Slocum calls a “difference maker” because he had already experienced all of the redshirting he needed. If it worked for MJ, it will probably work for your business too.

After you’ve made the decision to redshirt a new hire, it’s important to break the news of your decision in the right way. Your future superstars have likely just come from an environment in which they’ve performed extremely well, much like my all-American high school football experience, which means that they’re probably not accustomed to sitting on the sidelines.

My Texas A&M coach’s example is a great one to follow when you tell your folks that you plan to develop them further before putting them in on game day. He began the conversation by telling me how much he valued my contribution to the team, and by letting me know that he believed in me and in my talents. He told me that he thought I had a very bright future on his team, and that he was giving me a great opportunity to develop to my full potential. The encouraging way he described the redshirt opportunity left me motivated to get right to work.

“In sports, mental imagery is used primarily to help you get the best out of yourself in training and competition.

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