It's The Management, Baby

I'm not one to pass the buck upward, but watching my beloved Philadelphia Eagles struggle tonight, partly because Donovan McNabb has no one to throw to, I am reminded that management has to take responsibility for who they put on the field. If the talent isn't there, how can you win?

With one or two stars, you might stay in the game. And like the Eagles , you might win a few divisional championships and even make it to the Big Game. But you won't win it all. You can't win it all. Unless you have stars, reliable, not-prone-to-injury stars. You need them in the key positions, you need them in the support positions and you definitely need them in the leadership and management positions.

So what gives? I can't explain the Philadelphia Eagles (and I definitely can't explain Philly fans). But I can make the case that business is no different. When companies search for skills, they are looking for the basics--can you throw, can you run a play? But when they search for behaviors, they are searching for the stars. Why can you throw well? What do you do when a play goes wrong?

These are the clues to stardom. If companies start working to find talent beyond skills and job seekers really focus on their specific star qualities, and explain why they are a star, imagine the team you could create. Everyone always says--screw the weaknesses--play to your strengths. I just take it one step further--tell me why it is a strength.

After all, a good kicker, is just that, a good kicker. He doesn't try to bulk up, protect the QB or throw long balls. He kicks and can tell you why he's good at it. Now there's a star.

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