5 Career Tips from NFL Legend Tom Brady

Tom Brady is one of the great sporting success stories. During a career spanning more than 20 years in the NFL, the legendary quarterback has racked up accolades and awards including:

• Seven Super Bowl wins
• Five Super Bowl MVP awards
• Most career wins in the NFL
• Most career touchdown passes
• Longest touchdown pass

This sort of success doesn't happen by accident, and there’s been a lot said about how Brady has managed to stay at the pinnacle of the sport for so long.

Here are some of the key principles and practices that have served him well throughout his time in the NFL, which could prove just as useful for anyone looking to build a long and successful career in business.

1. Take responsibility

If you have aspirations to reach the top of your field and be a source of inspiration to others, you must be prepared to stand alongside your peers and accept your fair share of responsibility.

This is particularly important during times of adversity. It's easy to accept the accolades when things are going well, but the strongest leaders are the ones who are ready to be accountable for failures.

According to one NFL legend, this willingness to take responsibility is one of Brady's best qualities.

2. Adapt

Brady has shown remarkable longevity, having won his first Super Bowl in 2001 and his seventh in 2020. At the time of writing, he's the oldest active player in the NFL, at 44 years of age.

One of the key factors in his durability is his willingness to adapt and shift his tactics in response to circumstances that are largely outside of his control, such as his body changing as he gets older.

It's often said that change is the only constant in business, so you should always be ready to test out new methods and strategies when unprecedented challenges arise.

3. Diversify your skills

Brady isn't known for one stand-out skill. He’s never been the fastest player on the field - even when he was in his physical prime - and he doesn't have the strongest throwing arm in the NFL.

What he’s known for, however, is the comprehensiveness of his game. Through his hunger to keep improving and adding to his skill set, Brady has turned himself into almost the complete player.

Whether your background is in sales, marketing, finance, IT, product development or any other business discipline, always being open to new experiences and opportunities to learn will make you a stronger all-round performer.

4. Don't be daunted by failure and adversity

Anyone who wants to thrive in elite sport, business or any other competitive field must be able to overcome adversity and recover from defeat.

Some of the most successful and influential businesspeople, including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, experienced significant failures before achieving the things that would cement their legacies.

A scouting report on Brady before the 2000 NFL draft said he had a poor build, lacked physical strength and mobility, couldn't drive the ball downfield and was easy to knock down. He was the seventh-string quarterback in his college football team at the University of Michigan, but in the 2008 season opener for the New England Patriots, Brady sustained a ligament tear in his knee that put him out of action for more than a year.

Without the determination and self-belief required to carry on working and fight his way back from these setbacks, Brady would never have reached his extraordinary levels of success.

5. Set motivational goals

One of the ways Brady continues to motivate himself, despite having already achieved so much in the NFL, is by focusing on goals that drive him on to greater achievements.

He’s set his sights on playing until the age of 45 and, when he moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, said he wanted to help lift the organization to a new standard of success. The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl less than a year later.

If you want to achieve big things in your career, setting clear and compelling goals will help you on your way by providing the motivation you need to keep working hard, as well as a sense of accomplishment when you reach your objectives.