In football, having the most talented players in your squad is not enough. When the competition lasts a good nine months, having eleven good players is nowhere near enough. Players will face injuries, fatigue, drop in performance. Sometimes, different tactics need to be employed for taking on different opponents, which might call for players with different qualities.

While it is important to keep the eleven first choice players fit and sharp and high on morale, it is equally important to do the same for the reserves. Of course, the reserves will get to play much less than the first choice players, but they need to be able to play their part when called upon. The best teams that win competitions at the highest level do a good job of keeping their entire squad of players fit and sharp and high on morale.

The same can be said about individuals as well. While we use a certain set of skills most of the time in doing our jobs, and working on improving them, it is just as important to manage and improve our reserve set of skills that can be put to use when needed.

What are you doing to manage your reserves?