The Intangibles

Yesterday at OTWC, I was in a discussion group with Evan, a former NFL coach for the Miami Dolphins.

He shared a story from his time as a recruiter for UCLA’s football program. He was visiting a high school to scout a player named J. Typically, recruiters speak with the high school football coach. But the thing is, coaches are often incentivized to have their players recruited by big programs because it reflects well on their team and builds their own reputation.

Instead, Evan walked into the academic counselor’s office and asked to speak with his academic advisor about J. Two students in the office overheard him and asked, “You want to talk about J? I’m J. Why would you talk to my academic advisor? Why not just talk to the coach?”

Evan replied that he would speak with the coach later. Right now, he wanted to talk to his academic advisor.

When he sat down with her, she didn’t sugarcoat it. “J’s talented,” she said. “But he can be difficult to work with.”

You can be the most talented player on the field, but talent alone rarely takes you far. In J’s case, if he’s difficult to work with, will he be coachable? Will he learn the system? Will he support his teammates? What kind of energy will he bring to the team?

Evan’s point was that whether it’s in football, entrepreneurship, and life, it’s rarely just the most talented people who go the farthest. It’s the intangibles that carry you.