The essential job of a coach is to train, develop and positionpeople to succeed by effectively using their talents. When theseason starts, the coach should be able to step back and let theteam perform.

Football teams have been hard at work now for weeks, preparingfor their busy time. Let's think about why that's necessary forsuccess in the season that lies ahead. After all, football playershave had extensive experience in the past. They're well aware ofwhat it takes to compete and win. Aside from getting into shape,why is it so important that they spend weeks on end practicingbefore the season starts?

I think about the attitudes of great coaches. Bill Belichick,generally regarded as the best pro football coach today, is famousfor responding in interviews: “He did his job.” He boils all theemotion and turmoil of performing at your peak during crunch timeinto a summary of what you need to do as part of a successfulorganization. You should know your role, trust your teammates andexecute as planned. Nick Sabin, arguably the best college coach ofhis era, was asked a question last fall that led him to respond“…losing is never acceptable.” In different ways, great coaches getplayers to respond at the highest level when it matters most.

How does this relate to helping employers create great benefitprograms? We, too, have a busy season: the annual enrollment ofmost employer groups. We're measured by happy employers who feelthey have put together a great benefit program, and by employeeswho find their voluntary options to be relevant, affordable andeasy to purchase. We need to ask what our team needs to practice tobe prepared for our own season.

Football teams have new people on the squad who have not workedtogether before. It's very likely we're in the same boat. Newassociates need to understand their role in the benefits playbook.Associates supporting benefit programs need to understand theproducts, the enrollment methods and communications material. Theymust know how to make sure programs are appropriately designed. Wecan get out of shape, too. If we had a successful fall the yearbefore, we need to remember we have started back at zero this fall.We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge.

We need to coach ourselves and our team members to prepare foropen enrollment. We need to go over the attributes of our keyaccounts and identify our go-to people. We need to review theplaybook for successful enrollment based on employer size,complexity of the product mix, locations, languages and otherpractical matters. We need to go over every detail of importantaccounts with the obsession for excellence of great coaches.

Finally, let's not forget the needs of our players. The fourthquarter can be burnout time. While football players might becomemore susceptible to injury as the season wears on, our team memberscan suffer from mental fatigue. Make sure you plan a little fun foryour people during the fourth quarter, whether team pizza lunches,extra time off when business flow reduces, extra coffee, doughnuts,or other goodies to help reduce stress.

Soon enough, we'll be competing for real. As we tune up for openenrollment season, keep in mind success will be measured by ourability to “just do our job.” As Belichick says: “I'm not worriedabout the other 31 teams”.