I was watching Monday Night Football. John Gruden was discussing the difficulty of bringing in a star player. Even though you have talent, it is not a guaranteed value. If the player does not work for the good of the team, the team might actually lose ground by having such talent.
I feel like this is a rather apt analogy of life here. Tom is like a star player who wants to be catered to. His play only elevates if he is getting enough praise. He might actually blow some plays because he is more interested in everyone noticing him — instead of seeing to the good of the team and getting a win.