One of the great feel-good stories of the 2023 Major League Baseball season has been that of Drew Maggi, a 13-year minor leaguer called up in late April by the Pittsburgh Pirates team that selected him in the 15th round of the 2010 draft.
Given a standing ovation before his first at-bat, the 33-year-old infielder was asked to summarize his experience in a post-game, on-field interview.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “Never give up, no matter what you’re doing. If you love something, go for it.”
Great message, right? But let’s take it a couple of layers deeper.
The Pirates were already off to one of the most surprising starts in baseball, on their way to ending April with a division-leading 20-8 mark despite being a team pegged with low expectations. Maggi’s promotion was low-risk — he replaced a player on the bereavement list, meaning that player could miss no more than seven games — and also a perfect chord to strike with a young squad: Your dedication and effort will be rewarded.
The Pirates sounded those notes beyond their big-league clubhouse, as rookie Double-A manager Callix Crabbe reinforced when announcing Maggi’s promotion.
“In spring training … ,” Crabbe said, “we talked about perspective, we talked about choice, we talked about grit. … It is with great pleasure that I get to promote my first person to the major leagues. Someone that is tremendously important to this group, and someone that exemplifies grit and a choice to continue to fight for what he wants in life, and a lot of that is having the right perspective.”
To recap: With a relatively small gesture in the grand scheme, the Pirates rewarded the hard work of one employee and reinforced that message across their organization and their fan base. That’s smart, effective leadership that can resonate beyond one clubhouse.
What other sports world tactics might apply to business leadership? Here are a few:
Let the players play: Managers set the plan, communicate it to the team, and motivate the players. When errors come — and they will — make the necessary roster adjustments or figure out how to put those team members in the best possible position to succeed next time. Resist the urge to jump in and do it yourself.
You can control effort, not results: Focus on what you can impact and accept what you can’t control. Just remember accepting it doesn’t mean liking it. You win or you learn. You only lose when you stop trying.
Visualize success: That means not merely knowing the goal, but understanding the steps it will take to get your team there, understanding the talents and limitations each team member brings to the table, and assigning realistic tasks to the right individuals along the way.
Innovate: In sports, it may be a new defensive scheme, employing new analytics, or revisiting your organizational instruction and training techniques. In business, innovation requires self-examination and dipping into outside resources, such as bringing in a leadership keynote speaker to outline transformational practices.
Remember, too, that all leaders are not bosses. Any team member can be a leader. Effective development of those key assets includes:
Communication: Emphasize commonalities — shared goals in work and life. Empower team members to identify issues and develop solutions. Listen, welcome suggestions, serve as a tiebreaker when you must — but let the performers perform.
Teamwork: Some leaders delegate, and some leaders demonstrate. There are always team members who influence the rest of the team with their actions. Make sure your messaging acknowledges the positive impact of your solid professionals and allow them to bring others along.
Self-discipline: Current and future leaders must work to improve and should be allowed the latitude to do so outside the “game.” In sports, that means workouts, video study, and practice. In business, it might mean professional memberships, dedicated training hours, and the like.
Remember, a good leader produces more leaders. Think of the NFL’s Andy Reid. In 2022, five of the league’s head coaches had previously served as assistants for Reid. Above all, your mission is to help others succeed. Just as a successful leader cultivates a winning team, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers from the stands with your MLB Dodgers Tickets can inspire a sense of camaraderie and shared success among fans.
Author bio: Matt Mayberry is President of Matt Mayberry Enterprises, Inc. He is also a bestselling author of The Wall Street Journal, an internationally acclaimed business keynote speaker, and one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on leadership development and culture change. His insights on business performance have been featured on Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Fortune, Business Insider, NBC, ABC, Men’s Journal, Chief Executive and many more major media outlets.