Lead, follow, or get out of the way

Good morning. I made it through class with the help of my friend, Mr. Starbucks. He is a friend who always comes through for me especially on bad days. He can also make good days much better. With that, I have a ton of paperwork to get through by the end of the day.....so...

I just got a call from the big kid. His nemesis of the week is the intern trainer. They have butted heads on a number of occasions and it seems that the head trainer who is all of 24 years old is supporting the intern. Politics...hurt feelings...disrespect....it's got such a soap opera feel to it.

He was also complaining about his team mates who are really enjoying their senior year. They start the day and end the day with a brew or two. Somehow they make it to class, yet they seem disengaged. And he is fearful that they will not pay attention to the baseball when crunch time comes. He wants to be a leader but he does not know how....and here is my specialty....that's right, I have a degree in leadership. Don't laugh...I know the theory and content and most people would not believe it. But, I am somewhat of an expert.



Yeah....still laughing? Well, me too. In fact, I rarely share what I do with people who are not in academia since they would have a difficult time believing it. Most think that I am a flake. That's OK. As long as I can perform in the classroom and espouse my knowledge, I am cool with it. When one of the high school moms asked me if I was a doctor, I said that I earned my doctorate. Her reply was: "I thought that you were a real doctor." Ouch....






And so, I keep my personal and professional lives separate.

Back to the kid....my advice to him was simple. "Lead by example." People follow individuals that they like, admire, and want to be with..... That's it. You don't have to bully...yell...belittle...manipulate. Be yourself. Work hard. Let them see results. If you really want to lead this team, lead by your example. No complaining...just get to work and show them the results of their efforts.

 

It's a very short and sweet message. Don't overthink it. Just do your thing. Control what you can. Don't worry about what it out of your control because it is wasted energy and taking up too much space in your brain. Find one guy who has your work ethic and hang out with him. Don't change your goals because others do not share them or believe in you.



Keep your focus. And remember to take care of not only your body, but your mind, emotions, and spirit too.

OK, now that I have spent time pontificating, I have to get moving on this work of mine.

Last words....if you are not a leader, be a great follower. Choose you leader well and good things will happen.

Shalom!

Who's the leader?

Good morning! The sun is out and the weather looks like it is going to warm up to a balmy 48 degrees. No complaints....just chilly....

Yesterday I had the privileged of cleaning out my desk of all of the mouse droppings left from earlier this month. When I was the chair of the department, not only did I create and manage the budget and staffing, but I also set the mouse traps and actually captured three of them, ridding the office of these creatures. However, my predecessor seems to like the little guys, so they have made a home in my desk drawer. Anyway, after donning a mask, gloves, glasses, and a hat, I pulled the drawers out and took them to the outside. There I disposed of everything from pens to empty wrappers to mouse poo. Then I used the clorox towels and let is dry. There you go...done....on my way out in my haz mat attire, I noted the student worker whom we pay to assist faculty and staff was sitting at an empty desk studying for her test as I cleaned the drawers.....I tried to be quiet so that I did not disturb her....after all, how many of us get paid to do our own work on the job? Just sayin'.....

On to the big kid....oye....the team is now 5-19. That's not a good record. He's salty especially after sitting on a bus to and from Ohio without getting into the game. The team had one hit in nine innings. Ouch....three errors...double ouch.....

And so, dad came home and asked me the question: "What would you do if you were the coaches?"
What would I do, indeed? Yeah...what would I do?.....Hmmmmm...

First, I would never call any of my players 'psycho' with a snear and expel gas into his face.
Second, I would sit down all of the starters on the bench for at least two games.
Third, we would start at fundamentals and work our way up to the more advanced concepts like bunting or stealing bases.
Fourth, I would get the sports psychologist in there to talk to the guys 'cause they are down in the mouth.
Fifth, I would never yell...'cause that does not work. People remember that you yelled and not what you said. A coach has to be a teacher....

Speaking of teachers, the Rutgers basketball coach was fired for some of his strong armed tactics. People are calling him a bully with the way that he spoke and treated his players. Not too many people understand that often coaches have no idea how to speak to their players. They are products of the game and just because they were good players, does not mean that they can communicate expectations. Buddy's coaches suffer from the inability to get their points across without being crass or using profanity. The players want to play but they are constantly humiliated by their coaches and leaders. It's not a good system. Yet, as long as the team is winning, then the coach is safe. Now that Buddy's team is on the skids, there may be an issue with the coaches' employment.

The team has everything a team could want as far as facilities, equipment, and uniforms are concerned. They have a state of art scoreboard, spacious stadium, and super extras. They fly to most of their games and their food stipends are more than sufficient. And so, after this season of losing, I would hope that the coaches will have an evaluation by the athletic director who should scrutinize their recruiting strategies and methods of coaching.

It seems to me that coaching is more than putting the right player in the right spot. It is the ability to motivate and lead. A good coach can move a player to do more than he ever thought possible.

After Saturday's loss,  Tink and I sat in the empty stadium waiting for the big kid to stop running in the outfield. The rest of the guys went home. What does that say to you?

Now, he is making plans for the summer. He has convinced dad to send him to Houston to some sort of program that will teach the player to add 5 miles per hour to their fast balls. At 88 mph now, he could top 90+ this time next year. However, it is not the coaches who have talked about this camp, he found out by himself....will fund it....will live in Texas for a month and improve on his own.

Time to look at who the real leader is on this team and stop breaking wind in his face.....