A recent headline caught my attention -Â Tevez jumps 120 spots to 27th in Castrol football rankings. Another noteworthy event this EPL season has been the virtual dominance of Wayne Rooney. This set the amateur football dad in me thinking, what could be the root cause behind a sudden surge in their performance in just one year?
Let’s look at how Rooney’s performance has moved this year against Ronaldo’s performance (source):
Similarly, see how Tevez’s performance moved against Rooney’s performance this year (source):
So what happened ? How did these guys reach this peak in just a year ? The facts that we know are that Christiano Ronaldo left Manchester United (Rank #8) and joined Real Madrid (Rank #6) and Tevez felt he was not getting his due place in Man U and left for Manchester City (Rank #14).
Here’s my observation from what happened. When Ronaldo was in the ManU team, the entire focus was on him, and Rooney never got the due place he deserved. That Tevez was almost entirely forgotton in that process is perhaps not even worth mentioning. So, when Ronaldo left the team, it indeed came as a huge blessing in disguise for Rooney, and Tevez joined a team ranked lower than Man U and became a star in that team.
So, what can we learn from this? This is my learning:
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In an all-star celebrity team, second-best talent could often remain unnoticed till the star players depart and pave the way for second-best talent to shine. If you are the Rooney stuck in such a situation, evaluate your options and if there is no way your team’s Ronaldo is moving out of the team, think of how best your talent could come to limelight.Â
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Joining a team marginally better than your current team might not significantly push your own performance up. If you are the Ronaldo of your team, you probably want to be in the team that values you more rather than the team that you value more, because chances are that won’t dramatically improve your performance.
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If you are not being noticed in an all-star team, move to a team lower ranked than yours, and your performance could shoot up drastically. If you are the Tevez of your team, you probably could wait your entire career for the Ronaldos and Rooneys of your team to clear the way for your work to be noticed, or you could move to a team that values your talent.
I know this sounds very anti-establishment, but I strongly believe every professional must first think of his/her own career interests and keep it above team or organizational interests. How else can an individual stay motivated to contribute to the larger goal if his own motivation is at rock-bottom? We always expect lesser mortals to contribute in larger interests of the game, and often expect or require them to ignore their own calling. Are we dealing with soulless robots who can easily lose their identity and inner drive in favor of team goals, especially when their own talent and efforts are not being recognized? I think there comes a time when an individual must behave like an individual and evaluate his larger mission in life. It is really the job of the manager to be sensitive to his team member’s interests, passions and vision, and find opportunities that help individuals grow and blossom. Take care of that, and team goal will get taken care of by itself 
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Does the same hold true for software professionals? Software professionals are notorious working for their profession than for their employer, and are often likely to move out for short-term better opportunities. While it might not be the best thing to happen for the employer, I believe in the long run, it averages out and uplifts the entire industry. When superstars move out, they create opportunities (and hope!) for next set of players who otherwise would remain unsung and demotivated (and perhaps never leave!). Software being a team sport, one obviously can’t keep moving on every few years just for some paltry short-term gains, but really look for acquiring ‘strategic career advantage’ which can only develop when playing in a team over a few seasons!
On the other hand, there is another equally powerful argument that stability and longevity to one’s career builds the strength of character and professionalism, not to mention rock-solid skills and expertize, that prepare a professional for the long haul. In this school of thought, one must be willing to sacrifice one’s short-term interest in favor of building a celebrity team.
Is one approach necessarily better than other? I don’t think so. We are human beings, each one of us unique and complete with our strengths, apprehensions, vulnerabilities and the inner calling. What works for Sam might not work for Shyam and what doesn’t work for Han might work for Hans. It’s important not to bucket all players in the same category, and perhaps sometimes it is best to let go. A good coach, just like Alex Fersuson, finally realizes there is a higher value in finally letting go Ronaldo and Tevez and focusing on Rooney.
So, what player are you, and do you work for an all-star team? Leave that all-star team, now!Â
