"You don’t win the Cup with yesterday’s roster."

Over the last three years, I’ve become an MLS fan. Always a “sports girl,” but never fully understood soccer until I really studied it and became hooked.

Now, whether it’s boiling hot or frigid cold, you’ll find me at Columbus Crew matches, laser-focused on players and how they engage.

I used to swear volleyball was the ultimate team sport… but soccer? It’s right up there. You can’t have one standout player and expect success. It takes the whole team.

The best soccer teams don’t just swap players when someone's injured; they plan years ahead, building depth, chemistry, and the right mix of talent to win.

Succession planning in business works the same way. It’s not a reaction to turnover; it’s how you design a team that can hit both growth and profitability goals.

The stats tell the story:

• Prior experience predicts only 3% of future success.

• 46% of new hires fail within 18 months.

  
  

As Ted Lasso says, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse — if you’re comfortable, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

Building the right team means stepping out of comfort zones, rethinking your process, and picking players for potential, not just past stats.

In business, like soccer, the right lineup wins championships… and maybe even a biscuit or two. Oh, and let's not discuss how long it has taken me to understand the offside rule ....

#Leadership #SuccessionPlanning #Teamwork #BusinessGrowth #TalentManagement #HiringRight #MLS #ColumbusCrew #GrowthMindset #FutureOfWork