Free-agent thinking isn’t just for professional athletes

Tyreek Hill, the freakishly fast wide receiver for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, took his 6630 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns to the Miami Dolphins before the 2022 season. Hill was a top-three player at his position, and the Dolphins won a shark fight by paying a king’s ransom for his skills.

You’re also a free agent. At least, that’s how you should view yourself, even if you work for a company.

Some people think they’re too busy to pursue continuing education, especially if the costs are on their dime and time. The 3700 laid-off Twitter employees in 2022, half of its global workforce, is a warning to never grow complacent about job security.

These Five Factors Motivate Free Agents To Get Off Their Couches and Into Classrooms

1 — Elite free agents have job security

Through the 2023 season, the New England Patriots were the only NFL team with the same head coach since 2000. Due west and across Lake Erie, the Detroit Lions are test-driving their twelfth head coach in the same period. How did the Pats’ Bill Belichick outlast every other NFL head coach in 23 seasons? The answer is simple — six Super Bowl rings.

Coaching is more than a job for Belichick. Wide receiver Julian Edelman played 11 seasons for Belichick and said the coach was on “a mission to stomp out bad football.” Are you trying to destroy every lousy quality in your professional skillset?

Twitter fired half its staff but retained half. I imagine Elon Musk having a conversation with a trusted top Twitter executive going something like this:

Musk: “I don’t know the staff here, but I’m cutting half.”

Executive: “Say what?”

Musk: “Yep, and I need you to give me a list of the indispensables.”

Executive: “Can I put myself at the top of the list?”

Musk: “Hmm, no.”

Elite free agents don’t stand in the bread line begging for handouts.

2 — Elite free agents enjoy options

Tom Brady played 23 seasons in the NFL, retiring at 46 years old. The GOAT could have played another season and chosen any pasture he wanted to graze in.

Elite free agents know if they stay on top of their games, everyone, including their employers, must compete for their services.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan said of Brady,

I’ve known Tom for a long time, and to me, his intelligence and sheer determination to win are off the charts. That unrelenting drive is what truly sets him apart from anyone else in the game.

My friend, Arthur, is a licensed general contractor and licensed plumber in two states, and he’s studying for the state electrical test. The man is 57 years old and not slowing down. He understands a basic principle:

Elite free agents always have six offers on the table.

3 — Elite free agents command the highest pay

The best companies invest in employee training, but if yours doesn’t, remember you’re a free agent. Invest your pizza and movie money in online courses and get up at 4 am. Elite free agents know sacrificing sleep for advanced certifications pays off.

Getting certified in your field can often mean the difference between pulling down a middling salary and making serious dough. Monster.com

Don’t you want to make the most money you can for your work?

The Monster.com article lists eight professions that pay employees 25–75% more with advanced certifications. The report may not list your career field, but the moral of the story is the same for any job.

Elite free agents get paid.

4 — Elite free agents set the standard for others

Every high school quarterback has seen the gold standard for quarterback play. They sucked on warm bottles of baby formula while watching Brady lead the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. These young pigskin slingers know the attributes to model — a quick release, the ability to read defenses, to move through 3–4 progressions, and pinpoint accuracy, all while staying in the pocket. They’ve witnessed Brady mobilize his teams like a general to an astounding 44 come-from-behind fourth-quarter victories.

Aspiring novelists look to Stephen King or Gillian Flynn. New bloggers read Seth Godin. Online entrepreneurs study Tim Ferriss. Real estate investors listen to Robert Kiyosaki.

Elite free agents give the rest of us a target.

5 — Elite free agents want to give the best they’ve got

Job security, choices, and money are worthy reasons to strive for elite status, but the highest motivator is to give back.

Joe DiMaggio, a New York Yankee 13-time All-Star and 9-time World Series winner, was asked in 1951, his last season, why he always played so hard. He said,

There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time; I owe him my best.

Everyone collecting a check, from the professional athlete to the postal delivery person, should pay this same debt of gratitude. Someone signed that check, and a whole lot of someones made it possible.

Elite free agents serve a higher purpose than themselves.

Think about it

You may not command $120 million as Tyreek Hill did, but your market has a number for its top performers. Are you sharpening your ax to be the best in your field? Or are you just doing your job?

Be elite.

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