Hall of Famers or Journeymen?

America has a tendency to become obsessed with superstars, lavishing them with a host of awards and huge paychecks, and ultimately enshrining them into various halls of fame. Their fetes are often beyond legendary, and the adulation they receive is truly earned. Sports figures and entertainers alike all work toward achieving this high level of distinction.

They are the crème de la crème of their peers, but they have not arrived at their station alone. Their adoring fans become impatient; as the recipients are constantly thanking the people whom they believe helped make their success possible.

What then, is to be said about the remaining supporting cast? There have been, for example, only 215 former major league players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1936 (the remaining 95 inductees were managers, owners, umpires, sportswriters, broadcasters), but thousands of tremendous players have contributed to many winning teams and great moments in baseball. Batting giants couldn’t drive in all of their runs without someone on base ahead of them. Strong defense players support ace pitchers by robbing opposing batters of sure hits and runs. And entertainers rarely perform alone without a talented supporting cast. Celebrity is reached ensemble, never alone.

These same scenarios exist in the corporate world, where industry superstars can be discovered. There will always be exceptional performers in business, whether they excel in sales, engineering, design, production, or administration. Talent, coupled with hard work, determination, perseverance and purpose will always succeed.

But in order for a company to capitalize on these bursts of brilliance, a supporting cast must be accessible and capable of performing crucial, auxiliary functions without hesitation. Day in and day out, the support staff augment, duplicate, nurture, and encourage the accomplishments of the superstars. They too may be striving to reach excellence, and may from time to time exceed their own expectations. These performers should never be overlooked or made to feel less important than their superstar coworkers.

Good managers must appreciate the value of each team member, and recognize the role they play in the success of the company. All employees must be nurtured, trained, encouraged and motivated to excel on their own. They may never achieve the accolades of the superstar, but their contributions to the company help make it possible for the company to achieve great success.

Companies are often times blessed by discovering superstars, but it’s only those companies who utilize their entire staff to its fullest potential that experience their maximum level of success.