Photo: watermark.cutcaster,com

It’s football Sunday, and while we’re watching the game, all comfortable in our PJ’s, snacks in hand and drink in the other, the last thing we tend to think about is how this popular play can affect our day-to-day careers. Unless your significant other, family member, friend or even a remote acquaintance is in the NFL, and can pull a professional string or two for you…Otherwise, you better just relax, get more dip for your spicy Tostitos, and mentally prepare to head back to work in the morning…right? Wrong…

As much as I don’t exactly know all the ins and outs of the game, one thing I know is that, as much interest (and money) is generated through this ball game, and as much of a fortune football players make, there’s got to be a method to this ball madness. And as much as for many it’s just a sports, for the small minority that racks up the majority of the game’s revenues, it’s a career and a way of life. Just like us, corporate sisters and minorities in a corporate world, except we ‘re still struggling to make it to the top of the game…

And as I watch our very own Tom Brady call the game shots and lead the Patriots further and further ahead of the game to victory, I can’t help but see a striking resemblance to our own competitive, team-based yet individual-rewarding, corporate gigs…And the more I think about it, the more I am seriously considering trading in my work pumps for Tom Brady’s sturdy cleats and become my own corporate career quarterback…

• Learn to call the plays! In football, the play is a mental diagram or blueprint of the game for every player on the field. It’s the quarterback’s responsibility to relay to the rest of the team the play the coach has called. This is more often than not the manager’s role in a corporate environment, as they have to ensure that they are positioning themselves to call the shots effectively while seamlessly translating the tone at the top. And even for those of us who are not necessarily in assigned positions of authority, we can still take ownership of an idea, a project, or a single endeavor, whether self-assigned or otherwise. There are many opportunities, many of them informal and at times low impact, where we can demonstrate leadership , assign micro responsibilities and conduct an assignment to successful completion…and be noticed for it!
• Be on the offensive! In football as in corporate, you have to be ready to be sacked by the opponent’s defense, be it your own boss’s expectations, the business pressures, or just your own career ambitions! And in sports as in business, it’s not personal, it’s just the nature of the game. As the quarterbacks of our careers, we have to be prepared in most, if not all circumstances, and have one or two plays up our sleeves to further our professional game.Whether it’s by getting prepared to give our inputs in the departmental meeting, or ready to present a sales proposal at the next budget meeting, to daring to offer a revolutionary yet potentially game-changing idea, we must continually be on the offensive!.
• Be Versatile! The quarterback’s role can greatly vary, depending on the offensive scenario followed by his team. From a very active role which would require him to pass most of the balls, to a role requiring different skill sets, the quarterback has to be one of the most versatile and adaptive players on the team. Similarly in a corporate environment, where different assignments, positions, and roles may require drastically different skill sets, versatility is very often one of the strongest competitive advantages we may display.

Are you your own career’s quarterback?

The Corporate Sister.