The first snow has fallen, and I'm well on my way on a count-down to spring training and the return to baseball season. That's pretty typical for me, being a fan of baseball as well as a hater of cold Indiana winters.
It's especially true this winter, after watching my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox win the World Series this past October. And if you're of like mind, you can check out the Spring Training Countdown site to see how soon before the sports reporters announce that pitchers and catchers have reported.
Spring training is where championship teams are developed. You have to have talent, for sure. But spring training is where the fundamentals are taught and emphasized, skills are honed and team chemistry is developed.
Being a manager is not all that glamorous at times. Or a lot of time, pending on your situation. But the best part for me is working with and developing people. I guess that is why I love spring training. Once the season has started, you'll rarely see a veteran being instructed on how to round the bases. But during the spring, they will spend an hour on it, perfecting the exact approach you should have as you hit the bases.
Developing people in the workplace is my spring training, and I try to make it a part of my daily routine. From working with a brand new sales rep to working with a very experienced business office person who is learning new tasks, the opportunity to develop your team is the most rewarding part of being a manager.
Alex Cora, the manager for the Red Sox developed a high performing championship team. I'm just trying to win the month with a good performance, but lessons can learned from the rookie manager's approach.
"He just has a way of making you believe." That was a comment from Nathan Eovaldi, pitcher for the Red Sox. I cannot think of a better compliment that someone could pass along to a manager. That was Eovalldi's comments in the hours after the Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers for the championship.
In all the reading I did after the World Series ended, one article stood out to me. ESPN's Tim Keown's story focused on the culture of the winning team, and specifically Alex Cora. Cora made $800,000 to be the manager of that team which seems like a lot of money. But a team with a payroll of over $228,000,000 that is chump change. Yet, Cora built the team up and kept them up setting team records for wins in 2018. And I'm convinced it all comes back to culture.
Keown writes: "This was the culture Cora set out to build when he became Boston's manager a year ago, which made the scene both humbling and a little sad. He wanted a team that felt like a family, one constructed out of tolerance and diversity and inclusion. Given the transitory nature of the game, he wanted to create an ecosystem capable of absorbing new members."
Obviously the story is talking about how to build culture for a successful baseball team. But doesn't that sound pretty accurate for business, a sales team? Looking at building a multi-generational workforce, with Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and more? Then I think the advice from the rookie manager is a good thing to consider.
That passage doesn't talk about accountability. It is a very touchy-feely commentary but that doesn't mean I am not for accountability too. Far from it. I think employees, the good ones anyway, expect to held accountable for their productivity and actions. When they achieve or exceed, or when they fall short and need guidance, if you've treated them with tolerance and respect then they will be more open to hearing the words being expressed. This is especially important when those words are disciplinary by nature.
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