Superstars Don’t Fly Solo – Role Players

Photo by Shutterstock ID: 2160552525

Everyone has heard of Caitlin Clark.

The young basketball phenom recently led her Iowa Hawkeyes to the NCAA title match against South Carolina. To put it lightly, she is redefining basketball and women’s sports with her superstardom.

In the midst of this incredible run, Clark broke an absurd number of records, becoming the most prolific scorer in college history, men or women, eclipsing “Pistol” Pete Maravich with 3,951 points. Her list of records is too long to cover, and she has proven to be a superstar capable of not only carrying a team on the court, but financially as well.

Clark averaged 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.7 steals a game.

The NCAA title match between Iowa and South Carolina garnered an average of 18.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, professional or college, since 2019.

The Indiana Fever of the WNBA chose Clark as the first pick of the 2024 draft. 

Our Hire the Best System focuses heavily on hiring superstars.  They are vital to win championships.

Your Role Players

However, let’s consider another type of superstar:  The role player.

Clark’s success always depends on role players on her team.  These other talented players enable Clark to break records.  The seamless ways Iowa’s role players worked together as a cohesive unit with Clark enabled her to fully exploit her amazing talent. 

A role player is someone who is very good at their job, even a superstar in their role, but they do not have that extra touch of talent and mentality that a major superstar does.

For your organization, they may be indispensable workers who support your top players through consistent contribution. It might be the player who designs a stunning deck for your head of marketing to land a giant contract.  Another example is a player who generates tons of leads for your main salespeople to close.

Too often, role players are often the unsung heroes on teams.

In this specific scenario, they are the players alongside Caitlin, which helped win 34 of their 39 games and crush Gonzaga 103-74 for the NCAA women’s title.

Role Players Create Opportunities

Role players clear the path, stop the competition, and create the opportunities for superstars to do the work that only a superstar can.  They are also the glue that holds a championship team together.

For the Iowa Hawkeyes, one superstar role player this past season was Molly Davis, the 5’7” senior guard who started 27 games and dished out 3 assists per game while shooting extremely accurately from the field.

It was also Gabbie Marshall, who played a total of 166 games with Iowa, while starting 137 of them.  She played 30 crucial minutes per game in her final season with the Hawkeyes.  It seemed like every time Marshall hit an important 3-point shot, it was right after a pass from Clark.

It was also Kate Martin, who has been referred to as the “glue” or the “rock” of the team.  Martin was the third leading scorer for the Hawkeyes, along with her incredibly smart, steady and effective play.

It was also Hannah Stuelke, who was the second leading scorer for Iowa.  More importantly, Stuelke grabbed 7 rebounds per game, helping Caitlin carry the scoring and rebounding loads for periods of time.

Clark demonstrated leadership in being grateful for her team, and Stuelke in particular, when she said:

“This is what Hannah is capable of every night, I think it's just her confidence, believing in herself. I thought she made some big free throws. But yeah, I think she played really, really well and obviously that's going to be important going down the stretch.”

Great role players on Iowa’s team also included less featured talent like Sharon Goodman, who would box out key bigs (bigger, stronger opponents) on other teams and grab rebounds during her 10 minutes per night.

Each one of these players worked as one team, with one plan, and one goal:  To win championships.  These role players worked on common ground with Clark to leverage their strengths, so Clark could fully apply hers. 

Clark also recognized her team this way:

(…) The light shines really bright on me. But it does (on) everybody else and that puts a lot of pressure on them, too. They never shied away from the moment. They always had my back. They’ve always been very supportive...”

Make sure to fully engage your role players.  Hire them carefully, manage them diligently, develop them wisely, and retain them by connecting them to your team purpose while constantly reinforcing the fact you value them.

Role players are just as much a tipping point to your success as your superstars are.

Attract, Assess, Add

Here are some tips to help you successfully implement the three phases of Hire the Best.  These are the way your hiring tryout systematically can attract, assess, and add talented role players who complement your team:

ATTRACT

Identify Specific Skill Sets:  Role players excel in particular areas that create opportunities for your superstars to be their best.  Look for individuals with specialized skills that fill gaps within your team.  For instance, if your superstar is a visionary leader, then you might seek role players who excel in execution and attention to detail.

Define an Exciting Role:  This applies to all positions on your team, but especially for role players.  (1) Have a clear purpose that connects with the role players you seek;  (2) Fully define each role in compelling ways that appeal to your target players;  (3) Systematically scout for talent in ways that attract the right people, but not everyone gets past your qualifications.

ASSESS

Emphasize Team Chemistry:  During your hiring tryout, assess players not only for their individual qualifications but also for their ability to work collaboratively with your team.  Prioritize players who demonstrate solid team play that creates opportunities for other players as well as creating situations where they can contribute to your bottom line.

Prioritize Adaptability and Flexibility:  Role players often must adapt to changing circumstances and fill various roles as needed. Look for players who showcase adaptability, versatility, and a willingness to step outside their comfort zones to support the team's objectives.

ADD

3T: Teach, Test, & Train:  Once hired, develop your role players equally with your superstars.  Offer them a clear career path, mentoring, and regular opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills.  Teach them for knowledge transfer.  Test they can apply what they learn.  Train and mentor until they master new skills.

Recognize Contributions:  Demonstrate you value each player through your words and actions.   Celebrate their achievements, acknowledge their efforts, and rally each individual on your team.

Foster Collaboration:  Cultivate a work environment where collaboration is valued and encouraged.  Respectful feedback is safe and welcomed.  Anyone can provide feedback in positive ways.  Everyone is required to be receptive to polite feedback.  Collaboration requires transparency.

If your hiring process is systematic enough to hire the best, like Caitlin Clark, then make sure you have a superstar band of role players to enable your “Clark” to fully contribute to your success. 

If your hiring system is good but not championship quality, then reach out to Hire the Best.  We have a proven system to help you get where you want to go.

This blog was originally posted on Hire the Best on 5/21/24.