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04/09/2010
All things are possible in business and baseball
This week marked a major celebration in American culture....Major League Baseball's Opening Day. I too, joined in with the excitement as for me, the start of baseball season marks more than just baseball but warm weather, trips to the ballpark with the family and many, many treats from the concession stands....nothing beats a hot dog at a baseball game.
I ran across a great article on www.usatoday.com this morning comparing America's favorite pastime to
business. Its an interesting perspective and so true. Here are a few points from the article:
-Baseball has a long season — some would say too long a season. After an
exhibition game, the radio commentators were discussing whether it
mattered how a team does in April. Here's the good news — no one is
sure. Just like life. A team could have a disastrous April and still win
in October. Or, they could not make the playoffs because they lost one
game, perhaps one in April. You never really know.
- Success takes time. Over a dozen teams that won pennants or division titles had lousy — really lousy — records in the middle of the season, trailing by 10 or more games (a HUGE deficit in baseball). As your business develops, you may have to make changes to your team, strategy, management, but it's possible to overcome even long odds to reach success.
- It's not over til it's over. Every long-time baseball fan has a story of missing seeing their team's remarkable come-from-behind victory because they left the stadium early. In 1990, the Dodgers were losing 11-2, then scored nine runs (9!) to beat the Phillies. Of course, you have to know when to throw in the towel on a business that's hemorrhaging money, but often, there's victory awaiting in the next inning.
-It's not just "one and done." Many sports have very short seasons or one-game playoffs. In baseball, the playoffs are always at least the best three out of five (except if there's a tie for the wild card, but that's like giving a runner-up an extra chance anyway). That's much more like the reality in business — success is rarely a matter of just one customer, one deal.
-The big guys don't always win. Sure, the New York Yankees, with their gazillion dollar payroll, won last year's World Series. And sure, it's tough to compete against the superstore across town. It takes strategy, agility and commitment — you may have to offer a different product mix, greater customer service, respond faster to market trends. But mostly, it takes confidence. You can't win if you don't believe you can win.
-You've got to enjoy it, win or lose. Walking into Scottsdale Stadium during spring training, the sky was crystal blue, the grass as green as Al Gore. With the first crack of the bat and the "thwump" when the ball hit the catcher's glove, all seemed right with the world. OK, the Giants played lousy. I still had a great time. The same's true for me most every game. A baseball stadium is a great place to be.
Here's to a winning season!
If you'd like to view the entire article, click here.
