Want to be in the starting line up? Want a promotion?

While I was watching a college basketball game recently, one of the announcers shared his 4 topics of review when considering a back-up player for insertion into the starting lineup. After listening to them, I figured they could also come into play when considering an employee for a promotion. Here they are:

1) Effort - Can the coach/boss trust the player's/employee's effort when they hit the playing field, court or place of business? I have often seen people work extremely hard to get where they want to be, but then lapse a little bit once there. Can you be trusted to put in the same type of effort you did when striving for the promotion? Will you rest on your laurels or will the fear of failure keep you motivated? For me, I remember a coach saying, "Remember, there is always someone out there better than you, maybe wanting to take your spot."

2) Memory - Training? Practice? Can the coach/boss trust your memory when it comes to what they have taught you in practice or in the training classes? Will you remember the plays, the processes? What about continuing education? Once you are in the starting lineup or receive the promotion, it is still necessary to spend time developing your skills - whether it be studying the playbook or keeping up on industry trends. You should always take steps to improve your game or gather knowledge for the job.

3) Execution - So, you've identified your competition and have been given a good game plan....now it's time to execute. Can you be counted on to deliver? Obviously, the coach/boss can not run the plays or do the work for you - it's time to put up or shut up. Can they trust you to get the job done? I have seen some great plans, but not everyone chooses to fully execute them. It all comes down to execution - who best executes the game plan will likely be the most successful.

4) Talent - Lastly, the announcer spoke of trusting the player's talent. You have sold a bill of goods and your coach/boss has scouted your talent for some time now - watching film or reviewing your resume. Can you back it up? Or were you just "talked-up" by your agent? Can you hit the game-winning shot at crunch time? Can you bring in the business or make the sale? Can you demonstrate your competitive advantage over the competition?


In my experiences as a teammate and a coach in both sports and employment realms, these four aspects were present - of course, I may have never written them down until now! Obviously, when we are trying to move up the ladder of success in either realm there are several dynamics taking place and I am confident you have recognized some, if not all, of these mentioned here.

Any thoughts? Comments?