I just celebrated my first anniversary at my third agency in NYC, Converseon. They have given me the entrepreneurial freedom to build a profitable division with a growing client SEO roster including 3 in the Fortune 100 in only one year. That has led me to wonder how one exactly goes about recognizing a good fit. One unlikely question I would ask in the future is which corporate team sports, if any, the agency plays.

I didn’t know people had fantasy football trophies. Cropped from a photo by Beth and Christian Bell.

Most coworkers who were into sports at my first company in NYC were primarily football fans. The most organized league we had was fantasy football where we competed online against each other. Occasionally we would assemble an informal outing to the park and throw the pigskin around. But again, we only played against our colleagues. So too was the mood around the office. Football is an amazing game of strategy but very insular. Similarly, we built some amazing technology ahead of its time but did not connect much with the greater community at large.

My second firm participated in an annual corporate softball tournament. Personally I find baseball and its cousin to be rather boring, but I can’t ignore the charitable impact that the event had. Kudos to all participants. It is a very individualized sport, as was the company. Consultants were sent off and many never reconnect until the annual summer event or winter party. Stars who excel in continually building something unique without much foundational technology shared across departments can thrive in those conditions.

One question I have with baseball, however, is the intense specialization within positions. You will almost never find a pitcher play outfield or a catcher rise to third baseman. Contrast this to football where RBs often line up under center, WRs run reverses, and TEs always play between lineman and receiver. So in any baseball lineup, there can really be only one great player at any position. If you already have a great shortstop, most teams will trade the others.

That differs from my current agency, where we all act as analysts regardless of our department. That is probably why Forrester called us out yet again as one of two remaining strategic partners who are leading our Wave. We also have the most international office I’ve worked in yet — and for a purpose. We are not just looking for stars to fill certain positions. We have brought together some of the most talented people for their respective expertise as well as their linguistic skills. Our conversation mining team alone is fluent in a dozen languages, meaning we can truly bring a global perspective to our Fortune 100 clients.

The opening ceremony of World Cup soccer in South Africa. Cropped from a photo by Shine 2010.

So what sport does Converseon play? The world’s sport of soccer. And we are headed to the playoffs, too.