The curse will end. The Chicago Cubs will win the 2016 MLB World Series. In addition to having superior talent, great pitching, a deep bullpen, the best defense in baseball, and a passionate national fan base, the Cubs will become champions because of one word – leadership.
This organization is loaded with great leaders – president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Madden, and infielder Ben Zobrist just to name a few. In fact, if you have not heard the Dave Ramsey EntreLeader podcast interview with Zobrist, do yourself a favor and listen today by clicking HERE.
But one leader I want to spotlight today is first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo was profiled in a July 19th Sports Illustrated article. As I read the profile, I gleaned 14 practices of great leaders that makes this 3-time All-Star so unique.
- Great Leaders Are Vitally Important To Having A Healthy Team Culture – Catcher David Ross said, “He is probably the most important player we have on the team, just as far as his attitude and how he’s able to get along with everybody and gets to know everybody.”
- Great Leaders Focus On Others – One of the prices of leadership is you cannot focus on yourself. You must always focus on others. Ross continued, “Every time you’re around him, whether you’re on the field or out to dinner or any place, he wants everybody to have a good time. He’s more worried about everybody else and puts himself second. Whether it’s his at bats, batting practice or anything, he’s quick to take a backseat to others. That’s unusual for a superstar.”
- Great Leaders Are Great Planners – Rizzo’s mother Laurie says, “He was always the leader, even growing up. When you had to plan something – a party, homecoming, whatever – he’d be the one in charge. Always.”
- Great Leaders Need Time To Develop – Rizzo was the 204th player selected in the 2007 draft and then traded twice before the age of 22.
- Great Leaders Place Great Importance On Little Things And Their Daily Agenda – Rizzo says, “You have to do the little things every day.”
- Great Leaders Have A Great Vision – Rizzo continues, “But we envision the parade down Michigan Avenue. We’re going to do it.”
- Great Leaders Have A Great Attitude – Cubs coach Dave Martinez says, “He’s always happy. He’s so positive.”
- Great Leaders Are Dependable And Reliable – A leader’s greatest abilities are their dependability and reliability. Rizzo conducts daily workouts and rarely misses a game.
- Great Leaders Have A Great Work Ethic – Pitcher Jon Lester says, “I think the whole leadership thing in baseball gets overrated. What I’ve seen over two years is that he’s a leader because he goes out and plays hard every single day. He almost never takes a day off. Never takes bats off. Believe me, he’s so important to us that everybody notices that. That’s leadership.”
- Great Leaders Are Inclusive – Boston Red Sox scout Laz Gutierrz, the man responsible for drafting Rizzo, said, “We heard from coaches about the leadership qualities this kid had and how he took to everybody on the team, Latin players, American players…it didn’t matter. They all gravitated toward him.”
- Great Leaders Are Resilient – Rizzo is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor.
- Great Leaders Have Great Compassion – Rizzo’s foundation had a fundraising walk for cancer research. Hoping to have 300 people raise $30,000, approximately 1,000 people participated and raised more than $100,000.
- Great Leaders Are Grateful – Rizzo said, “After the cancer, it validates everything my parents ever preached to me: Live every moment that you can because you never know. I feel like when I do things, I do them the best I possibly can.”
- Great Leaders Are Unselfish – World Baseball Classic Italian team manager says of Rizzo, “The first thing I would like to say is that he is a first-class human being. He is the most unselfish player I have ever managed.”
What is one thing from the leadership of Anthony Rizzo can you implement today to make you a better leader?
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