Talent gets overrated. Chas Fox learned this lesson on an NFL practice field, watching the number one high school recruit in the country run routes, and realizing he had surpassed him.
Fox, a business leader and CEO who has led multiple financial turnarounds, didn’t start with exceptional natural ability. He started as an okay high school football player who worked relentlessly to become all-state, earn scholarships, and eventually play wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills.
The recruit who dominated headlines made it to the league, too. But by the time they were teammates in Buffalo, the gap had reversed. Fox had become the better player, not because of superior genetics, but because he understood something most people miss. Talent is the smallest variable in the equation for excellence.
Fox has distilled this into a formula, E = KPt. Elite performance equals Knowledge multiplied by Practice, with talent as the smallest factor.
Knowledge Drives Everything Else
The K in Fox’s formula is deliberately the largest letter. Knowledge is foundational. Without understanding what separates good from great, practice becomes inefficient at best and counterproductive at worst.
Fox saw this play out during his years in professional football. “I spent those five years learning routes, catching mechanics, speed drills, everything required to become a better wide receiver,” he reflects on the period between high school and the NFL. “When I watched the number one recruit run routes years later, it was clear he had talent, but he hadn’t worked on all those skill sets that require you to be elite.”
That gap wasn’t about physical ability. It was about systematically acquiring knowledge about what excellence looked like and how to achieve it. Fox studied film, learned technique, and absorbed everything veteran players and coaches could teach him. The recruit likely relied on the same raw talent that had always been enough.
In business, the principle holds. Companies that dominate aren’t necessarily the ones with the most talented founders; they’re the ones whose leaders continuously seek knowledge about their industry, their customers, and emerging threats.
Fox applies this when leading financial turnarounds. “Marketing is changing rapidly. Technology is changing rapidly. The way we lead and the tools to be better leaders are something you have to keep up with,” he notes.
Practice Converts Knowledge Into Performance
The P comes next, and it’s smaller than K for a reason. Practice without knowledge is just repetition. But knowledge without practice is theoretical. The combination is what creates elite performance.
Fox emphasizes that practice is habitual. In athletics, that meant daily route running, catching drills, and conditioning. In business, it means consistently applying new frameworks, testing strategies, and refining execution until they become second nature.
“You have to practice it. You continue to practice it,” Fox says when discussing how he coaches leadership teams. “These are habits that you have to instill.”
This is where most organizations fail. They invest in training, bring in consultants, and develop strategies. Then they move on without embedding those practices into daily operations. The knowledge stays abstract. Performance doesn’t change.
Talent, the lowercase t in the formula, matters, but it’s the weakest predictor of long-term success. Fox hires for it. He values it. But he doesn’t depend on it. “Talent is important, but it’s not as important as seeking the knowledge and getting the practice done,” he explains.
Elite Performance Is Never Finished
The most critical aspect of Fox’s formula is that it’s continuous. You don’t achieve elite status and stop. What made you exceptional last year becomes table stakes this year.
Fox frames this as “the continual formula for being elite.” The best athletes don’t stop training after making the pros. The best companies don’t stop innovating after achieving market leadership. The pursuit of knowledge, the discipline of practice, and the recruitment of talent never end.
Connect with Chas Fox on LinkedIn for more information on how to become exceptional.
