Moneyball happens to be one of my all time favorites. Having seen the movie multiple times, I could manage to decode a few hacks and put them as learning for strategy, sales & success. How should you and your company react when faced with ambiguous issue? How can you get best results from a moderate team? How can you drive passion? How does one work towards value creation?

Too often people watch Moneyball and only come away with a sense of the power of data analysis, which is a prominent theme in business today. Data analytics are everywhere. New technology makes sophisticated data analytics and data mining possible, and it’s being used by so many industries now: healthcare, crime prevention, the education sector, social media, you name it.

But the subtitle of Moneyball (the book, by Michael Lewis) is “The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” which illustrates a key point for business leaders. Take note that Lewis used 'art' not 'science'. There is an art of management that goes hand in hand with science and making data useful.

Here are a few tips and tricks I learnt from this brilliant movie.

1. Understand your competition and also it's disadvantages.

2. Focus to understand the root of your problems and find ways to either solve them to transform each one into a analysis.

3. Once you identify your points of differentiation, go all in.

4. Create sustainable & substantial advantages by looking for 3-sided approach (product, processes and people).

5. Make sure your team is aware of what they’re expected to contribute and what’s at stake. Each person must bring their 'A game' to their specific role.

6. 'Adapt or die' should be etched on your office walls, engraved in the minds of your team, etched in every corner to make sure that nobody forgets how painful it can be to change the rules of the game.

7. Clear communication channels among your team with be highly beneficial. when people can express themselves, they feel belonged.

8. Managers need to question if “the way it’s always been done” is the best way, and if not, how to break that frame.

I believe there is learning everywhere. Sales give you that opportunity. Grab it and make the best of it.