Those of you who know me know of my New England roots and my 20-year man crush on Tom Brady. I remind my kids, in an effort to impress them, that I was once on the same plane as him from Boston to Miami, and yes, we shared the same mask-less air. So, he and I have that brotherly connection which allows me to make the comparison to him as a quarterback and us as benefits advisors.

Tom Brady would be the Tom Brady of benefits advising, not because he knows more about sales tactics, the intricacies of insurance policies and the tax code, or has the best relationships with underwriters. He would be the best because of his mindset.

He stated in a 2011 interview:

“I’m out there in practice today and it wasn’t the best day in practice and I’m out there thinking, man, I sure hope they are not out there looking for my replacement after that day in practice, and I always want to feel like I’m the best quarterback for this team, I want to earn it every single day, because I think that’s was going to be best for the team. And, if you can’t preach that message to your teammates and you think you are entitled to something, you are in the wrong business and you’re going to lose a lot of games. I think you got to get up and earn it every single day.”

A client once asked me what I think of when he calls. It was a lighthearted joke about the frequency of his calls (he really doesn’t call me that much). Reflecting on that question, I think of that quote from Tom Brady. Here is what we think:

Every time we get a call, it’s an opportunity to show that we are the best advisors for their business. We give our best, because we sure hope you are not out there looking for our replacement. We want to earn it every single day, because that’s what’s going to be the best for our partnership and their business. If we can’t preach that message to our client partners, and if we think we are entitled to something, we are in the wrong business, and we are going to lose a lot of clients and hurt a lot of employees. I think we have to get up and earn it every single day.

We want to earn it every single day.

Let’s go.

(I just couldn’t bring myself to post this with him in a Bucs uniform. The wounds are still too fresh).