Jimmy Johnson is generally recognized as one of the top talent evaluators in the history of sports. The Hall of Fame coach attracted enough talent to win two national championships for the University of Miami Hurricanes in the 1980s. He then went to draft the right talent and win two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s.
Coaches from all sports and many top-ranked business executives visit his home in the Florida Keys each year to learn his secrets for teambuilding. Fortunately for all of us, Coach Johnson put his strategy for talent acquisition in his excellent new book Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs – A Memoir. If you are a football fan or just want to know how to build a great organization, click HERE or on the image provided to order your copy TODAY.
5 Things To Look For When Searching For Great Talent To Add To Your Organization
The following are 5 Things To Look For When Searching For Great Talent To Add To Your Organization from Coach Johnson:
Intelligence
Coach Johnson writes, “Smart players win games. They listen to good coaching. They can function in complex schemes. They make fewer mistakes. They often self-correct their own errors. They stay out of trouble off the field.”
He adds, “Teammates don’t vote dummies into that leadership position… They contribute to losing games and ruining seasons.” Wow!
Coach Johnson concludes this section with his famous quote on intelligence, “Next time I take a dumb player, hit me over the head with a hammer.”
Works Hard
Coach Johnson observed, “After years inside the game, you learned to recognize how greatness looked, felt, and even smelled. Greatness smelled like sweat. This didn’t just apply to individuals, but to full teams.”
Playmaker
Great talent has a bias for action. They make things happen. You can spot great talent by their production. Many leaders simply do not know how to recognize talent. Coach Johnson says, “So many coaches refused to believe what players told them by their play.” He goes to give us a very important lesson, “But the most important part of evaluating talent isn’t big, strong, or fast. It’s making plays.”
In other words, does a person produce or not?
Gym Rat/Loves To Compete
Coach Johnson loved players who weren’t afraid to compete in practice against the best players in the nation. Players were not promised starting positions as freshmen. They were promised an opportunity to compete.
If you would have wanted the path of least resistance or felt entitled to certain positions, you would have likely not succeeded under Coach Johnson’s leadership.
Character
Coach Johnson writes, “You don’t win championships with bums.” That sounds harsh but Johnson notes, “Character is a catchall word for the attributes that separate the selfish from the selfless.”
Intelligence, Works Hard, Makes Plays, Loves To Compete, and has Character. If the person you are looking to add to your team has these five qualities, you should do so immediately!
Once again, to purchase Coach Johnson’s new book Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs – A Memoir, click HERE or on the image provided.