What it takes to build a great team: A conversation with Drew Brees

Finding the right people and sharing a vision

During Rep Data's annual meeting last week in New Orleans, our CEO and Founder Patrick Stokes had the opportunity to sit down with legendary quarterback Drew Brees. Their conversation covered everything from family and food to organizational culture… and why he chose the New Orleans Saints 20 years ago.

When asked about that career decision, Drew kept coming back to people. He talked about finding the right people, sharing a vision, building a great team in a great city and being part of something that was bigger than football.

Throughout the on-stage chat Drew touched on culture, leadership and performance, speaking about trust, a shared mission and the importance of helping the people around you succeed. He described leadership as bringing out the best in others and talked about focusing on the preparation that happens long before game day arrives. Basically, the game itself simply showcases the work that came before it.

Building culture during periods of growth

Over the past year, Rep Data has welcomed new teammates and broadened the capabilities we bring to clients through three acquisitions: ReDem, SightX and Owl Solutions. Each joined Rep Data with its own strengths, expertise and perspective. Merging those pieces together creates new opportunities for our clients and new opportunities for our team.

Combining multiple organizations also means blending expertise across data quality and research execution. That takes time and takes trust, a willingness to learn from one another and a shared understanding of what you're trying to build.

One of the points Drew made during the conversation was that when things don't go according to plan, the question becomes how the team improves together. How do we learn from the challenge? How do we get better? How do we move forward? He spoke about the importance of trust and a belief in a shared mission, and about the need to galvanize around challenges rather than let them divide a team.

Those questions are familiar to any growing company. We've spent a lot of time recently welcoming talented people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Building a strong team requires more than assembling expertise. It requires people to trust one another, share knowledge and work toward common goals. That diversity of experience helps us solve more complex problems, support clients in new ways and continue expanding what we can deliver.

Why preparation matters for long-term success

Preparation was another theme that came up throughout the conversation between Patrick and Drew at our meeting. Drew talked about the importance of training, routines and process—success on game day is shaped by the work that happens long before anyone sees the outcome. In his view, game day doesn't just create the result, it also reveals the preparation behind it.

We feel that growing a company works much the same way. The work of integrating teams, developing new capabilities and strengthening relationships with clients happens over time. Much of it takes place behind the scenes, but it creates the foundation for future growth.

As Rep Data enters its next phase, we're building on the strengths that each team has brought to the organization while creating something larger together. The additions of ReDem, SightX and Owl Solutions have expanded what we can offer clients—from strengthening data quality and research execution to helping organizations make decisions with greater confidence. Just as importantly, they’ve brought new expertise and perspectives to the company. The work now is integrating those strengths, continuing to develop what each team does best and creating an environment where people can bring out the best in one another.