Last month I introduced you to the Ten Bases of Leadership that my co-author and I identified in our book, Lead Me Out to the Ballgame: Stories and Strategies to Develop Major League Leadership, and discussed the first three bases of leadership; Finding you Passion, Leading By Example, and Earning Respect, the bases which fall under the dimension, Leading Yourself.
In this month’s blog I will review the second dimension we identified as necessary to become a Major League Leader, Leading Others. Once we find and show our passion, demonstrate respect and trust, and model for others the right behaviors, we then work on the ways to engage the members of our team. We need to know our people, cultivate relationships with them, support them, and communicate with them effectively. The second set of the bases of Major League Leadership are those which give examples of how to lead others.
Know Your People
In baseball terms we can say that you aren’t going to manage a team full of rookies the same way as a team of veterans; a team of rookies may need a directive approach where you focus heavily on the fundamentals of the game, the rules you need to follow, and the ways to achieve success in your position and on your team. A team of veterans, on the other hand, needs to be given the space to play their game, as long as their game is a match with the overall goals, strategy, and vision you envision for your team. In the business world similarities exist, your new hires need a different style of leadership than your more experienced employees; the employees who are fresh from school or new to the industry need to have their hands held more so than the experienced employees who are comfortable and knowledgeable about their jobs and their roles. To get the most productivity out of your team, whether it is a baseball team or team of engineers, it’s vital to know what drives each member. Employees may be coming to work for their paycheck, but that paycheck isn’t what inspires them to work their hardest. What inspires them to work their hardest is their manager, their leader, knowing the right way to lead them, and knowing what makes them tick. As manager Ned Yost of the 2014 American League Division Champions said to us, “You gotta be able to look at them and know when to ramp them up and know when to back them down.” Based on the success the Royals have had this year, Yost’s strategy for knowing his people seems to be working very well!
Cultivate Relationships is the next base of Major League Leadership under the dimension of, Leading Others. A manager doesn’t need to have a sit-down with every team-member each day, but spending a few minutes walking around the clubhouse to see how your people are doing makes a big impact on the morale of your team. As manager Clint Hurdle told me, “During the course of the season I try to find time to say hello, look every man in the eye, and try to find time during the day to have some honest conversation.” This is something that managers in all walks of life can learn from, if you have a relationship with your people, your people are more apt to go out of their way for you…something we all want our people to do!
The third of the bases under Leading Others is Support your People. In baseball it’s common to hear someone say, “he has my back”, but have you thought about what that really means or why it is important not only on the field, but in your organization? Catcher Ryan Doumit, now of the Atlanta Braves, told me, “When you know that a manager has your back, you’ll have his. You want to play for him, you want to show up every day and give it your best, you want to play hurt, and you want to do all that for your manager.” When employees feel comfortable and know they are protected, they are more apt to take those calculated risks, try new ideas, look for new solutions, and find ways to help their organization be as successful as it can be.
Part 3 of the series on Major League Leadership will appear in November’s Leadership Blog posting, check in then to learn about Leading the Game.
Keep Leading and Play Ball!
To learn about earning your Masters Degree in Leadership at Albertus Magnus College please email or call Dr. Fero at hfero@albertus.edu or 203-773-4424.