Let me ask you a question: "What is your job?" or "What is your role in your business?" You may think it's obvious, but sometimes we drift towards ineffectiveness. But a glance at baseball will sharpen your focus again! I'm utterly convinced that lessons from the baseball diamond will change your life and leadership and make you more successful in all that you do. I'm not kidding or exaggerating. This is especially true if you can understand the role of a pitcher. Why is that? Because that's what you are when you are in business. You are the decision maker and the performer. You make the decisions and take the actions upon which all else follows. There is the pitch-by-pitch decision making that you do each and every day (see part 1 of this series for that explanation) but, step back and take a look at your role. Why are you there every day? What exactly are you there to accomplish?
A pitcher must resist the temptation to think that he/she is there to strike everybody out. That is NOT his job. If you have a little experience with baseball (parent of a little league pitcher?) you might think his job is to throw strikes. Not so. A pitcher's job is to get outs. That's it. Just get outs. To do that he needs to throw strikes most of the time. But a good pitcher will get batters to swing at balls the entire game if he can. Because what he really needs are pop-flys, fieldable grounders, catchable fly balls, double plays, all routine outs. To a pitcher the perfect inning lasts three pitches not three strike outs. You may get more glory if you strike out lots of people, but remember, its a TEAM game. And a pitcher is at his best when he fits into his role, does his job, and allows the team to thrive.
Trust me, we're getting to the business lessons here. How does a pitcher fit into a solid defense? And how does a business leader fit into a solid profit making business?
#1 A great pitcher will use his defense. He TRUSTS his team. He knows if he can just keep the batters off balance they will hit poorly and the defense will do the rest of the work. Same in business. You know that there are a series of obstacles that must be overcome to attract a client, make a sale, gain momentum, and then keep momentum. When we do our best to make the most effective business decisions we make the obstacles manageable and predictable for our team. You've had the experience of "cleaning up" a bad decision haven't you? That's like when a pitcher gives up a streaking bullet that rips a fielders glove right off or hits a bad bounce and nearly takes your third baseman's head off. By knowing our role on the team, we help our whole team look good.
#2 A smart pitcher will relax between innings. Maintaining 110% intensity for the entire length of a game is just not possible. Have you noticed that when a pitcher goes above 18 pitches an inning, he starts to struggle. The pitching motion involves an incredible burst of physical energy. Add to that the nuclear-powered computer raging in his mind and you have someone who needs to recharge between innings. Why? Because every time he throws a pitch he must be perfect. So, between innings a pitcher will sit, drink, keep his arm in a jacket, and power up for another inning. You will rarely see him studying batting charts, averages, or opposing player hit locations (he already knows this in his head). Instead, for the sake of his team, he will rest. A smart businessman will not try to go through the day by throwing 110 pitches in a row. You'll get sloppy. AND you will wear your team down. You've heard of the boss who lost his family by overworking, turning around and expecting everyone else to keep that same pace that burned him out. A good leader will rest between bursts of enegy. Have a cup of coffee, call a family member for a quick hello, take a short walk to get some fresh air, or pause to ask about someone's weekend. Then after a short break, sit down, power up, and start pitching again. This leads to strong decisions and longevity for both him and his team.
#3 An unselfish pitcher will give way to a "closer". In the end the most important thing is the WIN, not finishing the game on the mound. If you can finish all nine innings without hurting the team, then it's good. It saves the relief pitchers for another day. But often as a close game enters it's final innings the pitcher's effectiveness will drop. The batters have seen everything that you throw. They've battled you 3-4 times already. So the advantage is swinging to them. That's when you hand the ball to a relief pitcher/closer that is fresh, eager, and somehow always hungering for the heat of battle (they're great!). You've done your job (6-8 strong innings). There are times when someone on your team can step up and get the WIN for the team. It might be someone who can make a good call on an issue, talk to a key client, take over an account. You want to do it yourself, but you give way to someone who is fresh, creative, and filled with energy. The close for you and the team wins.
#4 A wise pitcher will recover between games. I remember finishing a 10 inning game against BYU (We won!) and being taken to the training room and immersed in ice from neck to toe. Yes it felt as bad as it sounds! We did ice on the arm for two days, then ice and heat for one day, and then all heat. In the mean time I stretched, ran, threw very lightly, and allowed my arm and body to heal and be restored. A heart and mind need restoration after a week of intense business. For me that means a relaxing weekend. I will enjoy a good movie, do some fun projects or hobbies, go surfing or hiking, enjoy a church service, have a nice dinner with wine. It's different for every person. But here's the rule: leave your work at work. You don't live to work! You work to make a living...and living is the relational stuff that we enjoy that restores our heart and mind. So take time to enjoy your relationship with God, with your family, with your friends and neighbors.
#5 Finally, a pitcher goes into overdrive when it helps the team. There are times in a game like full bases with no outs where a pitcher needs to "take one" himself. The team needs a strike out to prevent a run and set up the double play. Full bases with one out is much easier to handle. So the pitcher takes a deep breath and goes after the batter with all the expertise that he can bring to bear. It's time to open up all the power and finesse that you can and sit a batter down. I can't tell you how relieved your team is when you can do this in key moments. There are times in business when you have to step up and save a deal, reverse a mistake, push through a slump. It can't be business as usual. You do the extra research you aim well and then go in to massive action and you "take one down" for the team by yourself. After all you are the leader, the pitcher, the one on the mound.
So let me ask you again. What is your role? What are you, and I mean YOU, trying to accomplish every day to help your team succeed? I wake up every morning and tell myself that I will succeed when I help others succeed. I keep my focus on helping my team become excellent at what they do and make sure that at the core of our business we truly and sincerely care for our customers as people. Because of that I am always striving to learn more and stay ahead of the curve and because I believe in what I am doing, it's a joy to take the mound every day to lead my team. Let me challenge you to examine your role. Know it! And be sure that you fit into your team role and bring success to everyone there.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
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