Oft‐overlooked business wisdom highlighted from the youth‐soccer sidelines

Purpose – This paper aims to present a number of important reminders and examples of oft‐overlooked managerial capabilities found to be useful in a variety of businesses. Design/methodology/approach – This paper's “reflections on practice” are prompted by observations of kids in action – youth soccer. Combining those prompts with personal experiences drawn from over 30 years of working with business managers, and from a synthesis of over 100 contemporary business articles, 11 important bits of business wisdom are surfaced, explained, championed, and storied. Findings – The paper presents 11 oft‐overlooked, under‐valued, subtle, bits of business wisdom. In addition, the usefulness of analogical thinking is demonstrated as observations from a non‐business setting spark insights and reflections applicable to business. Practical implications – The field‐based bits of business wisdom presented here are immediately, broadly, and beneficially applicable across the corporate landscape. Originality/value – Readers are provided with an engaging narrative, drawn from the youth‐soccer sidelines, that points to 11 specific business foci that can be embraced to broaden and deepen their managerial repertoires. Each of the points is embellished with numerous business examples…examples not often grabbing the business press headlines.