Summer is slowly slipping into fall, bringing cooler weather, pumpkin spice flavored everything, and unequivocally most important: the return of football season. As it happens, more of my coworkers than not are avid some-kind-of-sports fans. This lends itself to some (mostly) friendly competition in the form of fantasy football leagues.  
As is customary, to kickoff (pun intended) a fantasy league of the football variety, one must participate in the draft. For those who may not know what this entails, the brief version is that you gather in person or online with your former friends, now opponents and veritable enemies, and pull together from the available players as perfect a team as possible.  
Fantasy aside, back in our work environment, we’ve been slowly but surely crafting our own ideal teams. I pride myself, and every cohort of mine, on our ability to adapt and power through difficult days and second-rate situations. Being short staffed and overwhelmed is never in anyone’s game plan – you don’t plan your star players getting literally injured, having babies, or moving to new cities. But strategically adding quality players to the team who are equally equipped to handle whatever problem may crop up? That’s how you rise to the top week after week and take home the prize at the end of each season. 
What kind of players am I drafting to my team? 

1. The QB: I’m going to want, scratch that, need a good quarterback. They’ve got to be the backbone of the team, know every play forward and backward and in their sleep, and always be ready to roll. 

I want that in the leader of my work team, too. They should have the skinny on everything going on with the crew, day in and day out. They can problem solve on the fly, and the team can be confident that if we’re stuck in a sticky situation they can guide us through it. I’ll need to be able to trust them to lead us to victory and stop at nothing to get us and keep us there. 

2. Go-To WR: Of course, my quarterback is going to need someone to pass the ball to. A good wide receiver is ready to go long, get a solid grip on the ball, and score. 

Similarly, on the team we need people to go the distance. Someone who is willing to go the extra mile whenever necessary, whether that be for a coworker or a customer or someone who’s just dialed the wrong number and got us instead, on each and every phone call and sale and interaction they have. 

3. The RB: I’m certainly looking for a strong running back to take the handoffs and screen passes and who can stay on their toes, all the while shaking off defenders while gaining every yard they can. 

The sheer versatility of this position is important in any capacity. Knowing I have a team member I can trust to handoff something I’m working on when I’m out, being able to send someone a call or an email when I’m slammed with an overflowing email inbox, and hustle when an order is extra time critical.  

4. D-D-D-Defense: And last but absolutely not least, I need a defense who can block all of the opposition’s attempts to score. 

Luckily, when my work team and I are up against any competitive advances, I can count on any of them to step up and block for me. If it means that we’re in a better collective position, they’re always willing to take a hit so we can keep barreling towards the goal line. 

I like to think I’ve drafted a robust and capable team, both in my fantasy football world and in my work world too. Since we’ve added a whole new slew of players here, I’m pleasantly surprised that I’m already seeing these qualities across the roster.  
The next time you’re looking to draft a new team member to whatever team you may be building, taking some external cues from unlikely places (like a competitive ESPN online league) might take you in the right direction. 

When The Reman Runner reflects on her ideal work team, she’s reminded of some tried and true lessons in team building – and drafting – from fall’s favorite fanfare: fantasy football. The result? A versatile group ready to jump in when needed and to defend the team no matter what. Who would you draft #1? Comment below or reach out to Rani directly.