The Best Leadership Lessons of July Baseball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXOrKT7SUoY

You can tell by my website that I am a big fan of ESPN’s Buster Olney.  If you look at the top of this page, you will see a tab where I capture many of his thoughts.  After reading his July articles, the following are five key leadership lessons that we can learn.

Today’s Decisions Determines Tomorrow’s Success – The Texas Rangers currently lead the AL West by 7.5 games.  The team’s front office leadership led by general manager Jon Daniels have made a series of shrewd trades (see Mark Teixeira) and additional signings that have provided them an opportunity to win now.  As a result, the team acquired baseball’s best pitcher Cliff Lee.  For more on Lee click here. Leaders, what decisions are you making today?  They will determine your success tomorrow.

You Never Have To Recover From A Good Start – We can learn much from baseball’s leading hitter Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.  The following is what Olney tells us about Hamilton when he gets ahead in the count.  “There have been 46 plate appearances this year in which he has gotten ahead in the count with two balls and no strikes; among those, he has drawn 11 walks. In the other 35 plate appearances, Hamilton has 19 hits, hitting .543 — the highest batting average in the majors of all hitters after a 2-0 count, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Among those 19 hits, he has three doubles, a triple and four homers for an OPS of 1.681.  After he’s gotten ahead in the count three balls and one strike, he’s 7-for-16 with two homers.”  Leaders, do you strategically plan for “fast starts”?  To hear Hamilton’s amazing story, watch the video above.

Chemistry Matters – Atlanta Braves manger Bobby Cox values effort.  Players that don’t expend the necessary energy to win are ultimately transitioned out of the organization.  On July 14th, the Braves traded mercurial shortstop Yunel Escobar for solid clubhouse presence Alex Gonzalez.  Top organizations weed out individuals who breed laziness and dysfunction.  Being a great teammate does not make you a leader.  However, being a bad teammate disqualifies you as one.  For more on the leadership of Bobby Cox, click here.

Leaders Are Continual Learners – San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is the NL’s finest young player and will win Rookie of the Year.  As one evaluator said “He’s like a sponge, in terms of the information he has absorbed and the adjustments he has made. He is the most impressive young player I’ve seen in years. Years.”  Leaders, are you a continual learner?

The Best Indicator Of Future Performance Is Past Performance – New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is currently hitting .273.  While others may be concerned, he is not.  Jeter’s 15 years in the league gives him a baseline for performance worth trusting.  Leaders, as you evaluate your team, what does their performance history tell you?

Decision-making, strategic fast starts, chemistry, learning, and trusting past performance.  Leaders, how are you doing in these areas?

For future leadership insights, please subscribe to this post or click here.