I’m willing to bet there are a number of things most of you would rather do than stare at Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on a daily basis. But what if the data contained in those rows and columns could give you “World Championship” status—or at the very least an edge over the competition? Imagine having a well-documented tally of previous performance results for all employees or co-workers and being able to use that information to predict sales slumps, prevent snags in production, or progress to the highest stage in your industry.

Life is full of plot twists, isn’t it? One moment you are having your Employee of the Month award framed, the next you’re getting knocked to your knees and praying you to keep your job. Imagine putting together a lengthy career that includes long hours at work—in many cases being the first one in and the last to leave. You’re in a good groove, hitting your numbers week after week—pouring more and more value into the team, and then suddenly you’re taken off of the company’s biggest client.

It is completely appropriate that this might be the year the Los Angeles Lakers became champions again. In the same year, he was due for induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame, a malfunctioning helicopter resulted in the death of Laker legend Kobe Bryant—one of the greatest players ever to wear the purple and gold uniform – setting off worldwide reminiscence worthy of a political or social leader. Here we are 10 months later watching a determined Lebron James attempting to will the Lakers to their first NBA title since the Black Mamba era, and I’m reminded that the “Mamba mentality” didn’t disappear in that California hillside crash.

Too often we’ve all have heard – in both sports and business – that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. We are taught that the best teams are loaded, from top to bottom, with the best talent. Often, it is true.