I’ve never been one to follow professional sports.

Until I watched live hockey, a story for another time.

However, this week I was surprised when the name “Tom Brady”, which I was vaguely familiar with, was surfaced with new vigor.

Brady now has more Super Bowl championships than any other franchise in NFL history.

I thought, “Remarkable, who is this guy?”

A YouTube video later I learned the incredible testament to grit and heart that is Tom Brady.

One of my favorite parts was hearing the scathing draft report from a recruiter who was watching Brady, he says:
– Poor build
– Skinny
– Lacks great physical stature and strength
– Lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush
– Lacks a really strong arm
– Can’t drive the ball downfield
– Does not throw a tight spiral
– System-type player who can get exposed if forced to ad lib
– Gets knocked down easily.”

And the recruiter was right, Brady wasn’t the best quarter back at the time.

But now, he’s one of the best quarter backs of all time.

So what changed? Why do coaches who had the opportunity to draft him, and didn’t, so wish they had?

The key lesson, recruiters aren’t trained to measure heart and drive.

Did this realization change how recruiters recruit for football teams? I have no idea.

But it certainly was a good reminder for me on what qualities matter most in employees and coworkers.

As icing on the cake Brady says that every day he wants to earn his position on the team.

The man is crazy. I respect him for it.

The easy option would be relaxing in his success.

But the easy option doesn’t make legends.

Who do you choose to be?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.