Recently the Wall Street Journal did an article on the highest paid quarterback and wide receiver combinations. They ranked the top 15 and, interestingly, within the top 15:
- Only four of the top ten made the 2014 playoffs
- Denver was the only team in the top 10 to make the final four
- As those of us in Seattle know, the Seahawks weren’t on the list (probably not even close) and the Packers and Patriots (the other two teams in the final four) were near the bottom.
Too many teams spending too much money without getting the results they wanted. Think of this in terms of business. Are you spending too much time or money on unproductive activities? This could be a marketing plan with no metrics to show if it’s working. Or perhaps your people devote a preponderance of time on one large customer, who because of their volume gives you unsatisfactory margins.
Or perhaps it is when companies let long-term employees eat up resources because “they’ve been here forever; they’re like family.” That rarely happens in sports. Competition demands that if you’re not producing, whether you’re a rookie or an aged veteran, you’ll be let go.
It’s a good lesson for all of us whether it’s people, marketing or daily habits.
“A tree is best measured when down, and so it is with people.” Carl Sandburg