John Maxwell famously said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Any experienced leader knows how correct John is. In addition to learning what a leader’s most important ability is, the following are seven leadership lessons I gleaned from a May 23rd USA Today on the New York Yankees and their talented young shortstop Gleyber Torres.
These lessons will help you rise to another level.
- You Never Have To Recover From A Good Start – “The guys have done that incredibly well to put us in position now to have a good season. But the bottom line is, we’re very early in this and there’s a lot of baseball yet to be played.” – New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone 47 games into the season
- When Opportunity Presents Itself It’s Too Late To Prepare – A number of Yankees have been injured allowing many young players an opportunity to produce.
- Quality Young Talent Is A Great Investment – In 2016, Gleyber Torres was the Cubs’ top-rated prospect and the 24th overall rated in baseball. He was traded to the Yankees on July 25th of that year as part of a 4-player deal to secure the services of all-star reliever Aroldis Chapman. Chapman did his job and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series. However in 2018, the 21-year-old Torres hit 24 home runs, played in the All-Star game, and came in third in Rookie of the Year honors for the Yankees.
- The Hidden Work Done In The Off-Season Shines Brightly During The Regular Season – Torres spent the off-season in the Yankees’ Tampa facility getting stronger. He had already hit 10 home runs in the first month of this season. Coach Boone said, “He’s been really steady for us at the position (shortstop), and that’s been so good to see. He did a great job preparing mentally this winter. He’s been rock solid at the position and obviously swung the bat well.”
- A Leader’s Most Important Ability Is Availability – Torres said, “My goal was to be healthy all year.”
- Preparation Brings A Leader Confidence And Consistency – Torres added, “I prepared really well in the offseason and really I just try to be confident, consistent every night and just help my team. That’s the most important for me.”
- It Takes Young Leaders A While To Get Comfortable And Settled – Yankees reliever Zack Britton said, “He’s so young. It looks like right now he’s just getting comfortable… It looked like maybe he tried to do a little too much at first. Now it looks like he’s settling in.”
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