Make the Most of What You Have

Seeing as I had very little to give to the game of football in terms of my height, strength, speed, or coordination, I relegated my energies to its fandom.

The National Football League imposes limits on teams using a salary cap and a draft system designed to offset the prior year’s success or failure.

Every team has strengths and weaknesses as a result.

Yet each season, the league crowns a champion.

What separates the winning club from all the others?

Vince Lombardi—legendary football coach and namesake of the NFL championship trophy—once said:

“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”

This is sage advice to all leaders.

To be an authentic people leader, you have to:

Know your team’s natural strengths and blindspots
Seek out ways to optimize performance and team welfare in light of both

We have to fully capitalize on what we have while acknowledging our limitations—both among our teams and in ourselves.

This allows us to make the most informed decisions and shape our actions to achieve our collective objective.