Hey Jerry Jones: Individual Talent is Often Overrated

Dallas Cowboys hype - that's what the 2008-09 NFL regular season was all about, especially early on. Nearly everywhere on the roster was individual talent at the top of its class. In particular areas where there was room for improvement, Jerry Jones (Team Owner) invested diligently on the free agent market.  The focus on individual talent was so paramount that character and integrity were diminished as qualities not pivotal to performance "on the field."  Case in point: Adam "Pacman" Jones was signed to a 1-yr deal despite being arrested six times and involved in twelve instances requiring police intervention since his drafting by the Tennessee Titans in 2005.

Despite exceptional talent at each individual position, Dallas not only greatly underperformed expectations -- they got worse as the season moved on.  When redemption was in site, we had the distinct pleasure of watching the pinnacle of 'stinkdom' as the Cowboys laid an egg in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.  In a "win and you're in the playoffs" scenario, they were blown out 44-6.  Despite all that talent, they were beaten mentally, emotionally, and physically.  And unlike last year's debacle, we didn't even get to see TO cry, "That's my quarterback" in the post-game media session.

Today, the hunt for a scapegoat is on.  Some blame the Head Coach for a lack of leadership.  Others blame the assistant coordinators for a poor game plan.  Many place fault squarely on the shoulders of the quarterback, Tony Romo.  There are a number of people and factors that can be pointed to, but if there is one thing for sure, it's that the Cowboys lacked chemistry and cohesiveness. They didn't communicate or collaborate, and ultimately, they lost. Could it have been the relentless focus on individual talent above all things?

Consider our role as Talent Acquisition Professionals for a moment.  Many Recruiters (both internal and external) forget about what the essence of "team" really means by virtue of our position itself.  It's understandable - 9 times out of 10, we're asked to find the most talented individual in a given market.  It doesn't initially cross our minds to find the best 'teammate' - in fact, resumes themselves aren't about communicating anything more than individual accomplishments.  Those resumes that reference the word 'team' more than twice are considered as if the candidate is hiding behind collaborative accomplishments because they have none to claim as their own.  And ponder the dance of interviewing for a moment -- How many coaches recommend a candidate speak about team accomplishments instead of blowing their horn?  Yeah, my sentiments exactly . . .

Put simply, the 2008 Cowboys brought me back to the truth about individual talent.  In football, 11 must come together to act as 1 single unit.  All the individual talent in the world means very little if the team doesn't play together. 'Execution' is about more than doing your personal job well; it's about working together as one.  Yes, a team player can be a superb individual player as well, but the truth is that the team player is more concerned with winning as a unit than what their individual statistics look like after the game. 

So, the next time you interview someone who speaks about a team accomplishment, don't write them off so quickly.  With a further flattening and decentralizing Global Economy, you just might have a true winner on your hands . . .

Editor's Note - Josh Letourneau is the owner of LG and Associates, a Strategic Sourcing, Executive Search, and Human Capital Intelligence firm based in Atlanta.  Prior to founding LG & Associates, Josh worked as a Sales & Marketing professional in the software biz and was a hard-charging Sergeant in the Marines.  In his spare time, Josh enjoys shooting at other sourcing and search professionals as available in random paintball games...

Comments

[Paul Hebert]

Great post Josh.

There may have been a time where individual effort was more valuable than the ability to APPLY your individual talents within the team.

Business today is getting done because of teams - teams are more important than ever and therefore, the ability to apply your talents in team environment are more important than the individual talent.

I'd much rather have the 3rd best receiver who can play WITH the team than the #1 receiver who can't. Your performance as a team (which is what ultimately you get paid for) will be much, much better.

I think you were the one that tweeted this week about "if teamwork is so important how come it's not on resumes?" Boy that is so true. But it also begs the question - how do you get that across? Do you include your linkedin recommendations as evidence of team work as part of your resume? I know I've done that for client work - why not for employment.

Nice way to end week.

[Steve Boese]

Really interesting post, Josh. I think part of the problem in sports as well as in organizations is the much higher degree of difficulty in determining the right mix of superior talent along with good team players. It's fairly easy (although by no means foolproof) for a sports team to draft, sign, or trade for the recognized best talent available. As a team, they may not have success if the collection of talent can't gel as a team. But, fill the team with so-called 'good locker room guys' and the team may fail simply based on not having enough raw talent. Determining the correct mix is what separates the great coaches and managers from the rest.

[Jeff Kristick]

Great post. As a recovering Cowboys fan I do hope they focus on team chemistry next year and not just talent at all costs.

What do you think of someone like Steve Jobs and Apple? That company is very closely associated with one person - Steve Jobs. We know the success of the company is due to more than just Steve, but would you argue that his individual talent is overrated or just overhyped by the media. And what about succession planning in a situation like Apple.

[Kathy Rapp]

Nicely done Josh. This is why pro football (and in my opinion) other pro sports are in trouble. The sense of team is all but lost - and not only does that translate into poor seasons, but also into loss of fans and revenue. The corporate comparison is right on as lack of team ultimately will equate to taking a beating from your shareholders and/or consumers.

Don't you know Tom Landry is rolling over in his grave.

[Stephen Shearman]

Josh,

Another great article, thoughts and advice.

To add another interesting reason why 'not to focus solely on individual talent' is found in HR Magazine's (Jan 2009) "Lessons from the Financial Services Crisis" by Wayne Cascio and Peter Cappelli. The authors make a strong connection between the numerous corporate failures like Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, Arthur Anderson, Tyco, etc. and their narrow focus on individual talent and stars instead of focusing on the organizational systems, which includes teams. The connection to your Dallas Cowboys analogy is pretty easy.

Often times, when competition was intense, organizations narrowed their focus to a few top talent, superstars and rainmakers, and by doing so neglected the fabric of the entire organization - systems. They made their competitive advantage these superstars instead of a well organized system. These organizational Systems include; shared values, expectations, ethics, culture, rules and procedures. Enron’s leaders often boasted of having “the smartest guys in the room”.

Once an organization short changes its systems for individualism (usually in pursuit of immediate results, gain, stakeholder return, money) by giving huge rewards, salaries, bonuses, incentives, pedestal, recognition - they risk pushing the envelope and taking outsized risks and hiding failures and working outside the checks and balances of the 'system' (supervisor oversight, audits, peer pressure, public scrutiny, ethics compliance, etc). Companies where systems are 'stars' include: Golman Sachs, Southwest Airlines, SAS Institute and Proctor and Gamble.