'The Numbers Stink'

The Purdue Boilermakers finished the men’s college basketball regular season ranked No. 9 in the country — despite not having a single five-star high school recruit on their roster.

So how does this happen? How does a team with seemingly ordinary talent for its level punch so far above its weight?

Some of this success can certainly be attributed to coaching and skill development, but, according to Coach Matt Painter, it’s also because there are various intangibles that rankings can’t measure.

“I hate the numbers. The numbers stink,” Painter said recently about recruiting. “When you rank guys, you can’t measure what’s in their heart. When you go and recruit them and spend time with them and see them, you see that.”

It’s a crucial message for us as leaders.

So often, we try to put projections, labels and stereotypes on our team members. We typecast them into various roles based on our expectations and our own past experiences.

Too small. Didn’t graduate from a prestigious-enough university. Has an odd accent. Didn’t perform well on this project. Is different than what we’re accustomed to.

While these assessments are merited at times, they often hinder our ability to cultivate our teams and develop our personnel.

Painter seems to have figured this out, tossing expectations and the opinions of outsiders aside while honing in on the relevant intangibles for his program.

“The evaluation is your work ethic,” he said. “Do you have any baggage?”

As we as leaders proceed this spring with our scouting, our talent recruitment and our employee evaluations, we might be wise to reflect on Painter’s words and dig a little deeper to find the non-obvious.

The hidden gems can often end up sparkling the brightest.