Working Requirements Parallel Baseball Skills
By Eugene Peterson
For a guy like me who is constantly on the run from client to client, coast to coast, nothing is more relaxing in the summertime than watching a good live professional game of baseball. I admire the talent of a player who stands at the plate, swings a bat and hits a baseball traveling faster than cars normally drive on the freeway. The hand/eye coordination required of the athlete to make contact with the ball is very difficult and often results in multiple failures before achieving a single success. Without question, effectively hitting a ball traveling that fast is monumental. Yet as difficult as the hit is, it can and is accomplished. A couple of weeks ago I was in Anaheim, watching my favorite team, the Angels, play the Yankees. I noticed that Yankee player, Derek Jeter, was more consistent in hitting the ball than others. His performance was amazing. He hit four out of four times at bat. I checked stats recently (www.mlb.com): 388 at bats with an exceptional .325 batting average. Yet as good as his performance, his team didn’t win. Why? Listed now are a few observed baseball lessons. Try them to increase profitability and ensure business success: You may have the best player(s) on your team, but unless they play as a team, you won’t win. Hitting the ball one out of four times is good. Exceptional batters hit one out of three. Yet notice, when batting, there are more failures than successes. Unbridled discouragement with failure cankers a bad attitude – winners manage attitude in time of adversity and recognize failure as an opportunity. Even if your team loses games, they still can win the championship. Those with higher batting averages get paid more. Difficult accomplishments (higher batting averages) are given larger compensation rewards. Why? Players get paid based upon talent and skill they bring to the game, not upon longevity or seniority. Gifted athletes are disciplined and practice thousands of hours to master/perfect their skills. Games are scored one run at a time. At any given moment, they know the score. Do you keep score (financial position/job cost)? Finally – Winning teams have winning coaches who understand the game, bring out the best, reinforce strengths, eliminate weaknesses, exploit opportunities and crush threats. A successful coach knows his team and how and where they should play. At the ball park, I love the thrill of the game, enjoy the energy of the crowd and find that there is no place in the world where hot dogs taste better. If you want to have a winning season, join me at the ball park, relax and LEARN THE BUSINESS LESSONS the pros have mastered.