4 Reason Why Tom Brady Would Be A Great Sales Manager
July 29th, 2010
It’s not quite football season yet, but it is mini-camp time in the NFL…so it’s got me thinking…
It’s been very trendy in the past few years to bash the New England Patriots, but you gotta admit, their star quarterback Tom Brady has alot going for him.
With three Super Bowl rings, millions of dollars in sponsorships, a supermodel wife, great teammates who love him, plays for one of the greatest coaches and football organizations of the modern era…you could say he’s pretty fortunate.
Love him or hate him, he’s certainly a guy who has achieved alot in a very short period of time.
But the greatest thing that he has is what he posseses inside.
Sure, he has all the trappings of success for sure, but most importantly he’s got the intangibles of success – and that’s what makes him truly great.
Even if you’re no fan of the Patriots, there’s much we can all learn from New England Patriots QB Tom Brady in our own pursuit of top performance.
Let’s talk about just four of Brady’s intangible character traits and how they relate to sales management.
1. He always works to hone his skills. Anyone who knows football will tell you that Brady didn’t start his pro football career with stars attached to his name. In his early college days he was merely average, slotted as a third stringer on a potent Michigan lineup. He was slow, and a bit fat around the middle – but he worked hard. Brady trained to sharpen his abilities every chance he got, and still does the same today. Now he’s become one of the best QBs playing in the league.
Like football, sales management is a continuous learning process. Average but talented sales managers can become great someday by continuously striving to improve their craft. Top sales managers also risk losing their touch if they refuse to learn new things.
Brady was a sixth round draft choice who earned a third string roster spot. He worked his tail off to achieve what he’s done.
2. He knows himself and his weaknesses. What’s truly admirable about Tom Brady is that he has weaknesses, but he readily admits them. “There are plenty of things I’m deficient at,” he said one time in an interview. “I’ve never been a great athlete.”
Brady accepts his weaknesses, even embraces them, and—going back a couple of paragraphs— has worked darn hard to make up for them by exploiting his ample strengths. He says, “I feel some of my strengths are my awareness and decision making.”
He works at minimizing his weaknesses but he constantly is working his tail off to improve his strengths even more.
3. He sets a good example. True a great leader sets the right example. But Brady’s a model player for everyone in the team, and he lives it. A few years ago Brady agreed to defer some of his salary so the Patriots had more salary cap dollars to spend it on other players. As a top sales manager, are you willing to sacrifice the spotlight (or even some of your bonus comp) if you know that it could help the rest of your team?
Are your sales managers willing to take a backseat and highlight the strengths of your reps, stepping aside so THEY can be the stars?
4. Last but not the least, he’s modest. Brady’s got the supermodel wife and admit it, even if you’re a dude, he’s got GQ good looks. But Brady chooses to keep it real, even blushing when he talks about himself on camera. His modesty is unparalleled in this self-centered, egotistical, spotlight grabbing media age. He is more of a superstar because he is so modest.
Don’t let a little success as a sales manager get in to your head. Be humble. In the world of sales, like football it can all change so fast.
No matter how good or bad a situation gets, stay on an even keel; show respect for your sales people, your peers and to everyone in the office. No one likes a braggart.
And in the process, aspire to be just a little more like Tom Brady.
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Share what you think are some other essential characteristics of a good sales leader by leaving a comment below.
