Football does have some lessons to teach managers. Selection of the right “players” is vital. Also it is always a good idea to have a “virtual bench”; in other words, to know a few possible candidates in case of a vacancy because of turnover. It is tempting to transfer much more, but football teams and teams at the office are not always alike, claims the management.about.com website.
Individualism or interdependency
Fantasy teams are a collection of individual stars. In business, you want your team to take advantage of teamwork. Wise leaders look for complementary skills and encourage collaboration among their subordinates. An interdependent team, in which members can rely on each other, is team that performs well.
Usually, there is no single person to blame
Because in real life a manager should search for issues in the workflow process and not focus solely on poorly performing employees. Addressing systemic issues is the key to improving performance. Organizational performance is more essential than individual talent.
Rewards
An owner of a fantasy football team cannot really motivate his team. He only watches the scores. However, great leaders are willing to know their people and appreciate and acknowledge the small victories as well as the big ones. Understanding what motivates and energize your subordinates is a trait of successful leaders. And of course, great leaders take an active role in coaching their subordinates. They motivate, they offer training and are therefore involved in the success of everything from their department or team.
Employees are not interchangeable
Unfortunately this is exactly the way some managers see the employees. You cannot just hit a button and replace an injured player with a new one. If someone is dealing with personal issues and gets sacked, that does not mean it was a mistake to initially hire this person. Quite often, in fact, it is a management mistake, and that is another difference between business and football.
-jk-