Out With The Old & In With The New…Perspective
June 24, 2012 § Leave a comment
As a Cubs fan, we get attached to veteran players. In fact, that could be said about most baseball fans. This year is no different for me. I was very disappointed to see Marlon Byrd get traded. I love his work ethic, hustle and obvious love for the game. The chatter on the Internet is the Cubs are waiting to call up the center field phenom, Brett Jackson, from the Iowa Cubs. In the meantime, Tony Campana has been given a great opportunity to prove himself. While Tony is not Marlon, he has done a great job bringing a different approach and different style to Center Field.
In business, it is always difficult to lose a great employee. But instead of focusing on the loss, think of it as an opportunity to hire a great new addition to the team.
Anytime a great person is hired, they bring an advantage that no other person on the team can bring: a new perspective. Don’t squander the opportunity. Take advantage of it. Once a new person gets acclimated to the company, I always encourage the manager to ask the person, “what do you see that you would change or that doesn’t make sense”. Their fresh perspective and new set of eyes is invaluable.
Are there any success stories where this new perspective has had an impact on your organization?
This post was inspired by a couple of articles in Vine Line magazine.
Unwritten Rules
August 8, 2011 § Leave a comment
“That is one of those unwritten rules”. How many times have you heard a former Major League player and current announcer make this claim? As many people know, baseball has dozens of unwritten rules, maybe even hundreds. Don’t admire your home run shot too long. You can slide in hard to second base to break up a double play, but don’t go in with your cleats up. And my favorite, non pitchers cannot walk across the pitchers mound. All of these unwritten rules make the play unclear to some on the field and most off the field.
If you want people to perform at a very high level, whether it is on the baseball field or at your organization, rules cannot be “unwritten”. “Unwritten Rules” tend to be very vague and unclear. Clarity is paramount. How many times have directions been given and the person goes off and does something completely different? The most likely reason is due to unclear directions.
Be clear. Be concise. Repeat.
Keep your eyes open. Inspiration can come from anywhere.
I was inspired by a blog post from Marlon Byrd, center fielder for the Chicago Cubs, about the unwritten rules of baseball.
It’s All About The Delivery
August 1, 2011 § 1 Comment
Pitchers in baseball spend years perfecting their delivery. The smallest tweak in the delivery can make a huge impact, both positive and negative, in the pitcher’s success. Most changes are intentional. For example, Ryan Dempster, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, developed a “tell” in his delivery. Something that he was doing in his delivery told the batter the pitch he was going to throw. In 2008 he changed his delivery to eliminate the tell. That season, he went on to have the best record and ERA of his career.
The same inverse impact (small tweak makes a huge impact) can happen in business on any given day. The reaction and response from whom you communicate with can be drastically altered depending on the delivery of your communication.
I experience this at least on a weekly basis. Someone will talk to me venting about something someone else said. When I hear the story, it is usually not the words that peaked the ire of the person on the receiving end of the communication, but the tone, body language, enthusiasm (or lack of) or even the word or words that were emphasized in the communication that seem to have caused the problems. In other words, the delivery.
It is hard to do, but we must think about how our communications will be received or interpreted before they are delivered. Email communication is a bit easier to proof-read and revise if need be. Verbal conversation is much more difficult and yet much more important. I am not saying you need to be nice all the time. Instead, be intentional. Be intentional in your tone, in your word choice, in your strength and your choice of method (email, verbal or something else). Be in control and never out of control of your communication delivery. If you intend to be nice in your communication, great. But if the situation calls for stern, hard or aggressive, the delivery of the communication needs to intentionally reflect that.
Think before you speak. Proof-read before you send. Using these two simple ideas will help you get the intended reactions from those with whom you communicate.
Keep your eyes open. Inspiration can come from anywhere.
Inspiration for this writing came from many of my associates at Group Delphi and others in the business community in Fort Wayne with whom I speak periodically about business management challenges.
Observe Inspire Lead 