“I went to school on Tom’s ideas!”
Jeff Taylor, Founder, Monster.com
A Clear Eye.
On customers, brands and marketplace success
by Tom Asacker
“I went to school on Tom’s ideas!”
Jeff Taylor, Founder, Monster.com
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"The veteran guys instilled a belief in us."
Midnight's children will not be forgotten in New England lore. The Boston Red Sox have done it again, sweeping the final three games of the ALCS to advance to the 2007 World Series.
How have the Red Sox -- a team once identified by late-season disappointment -- transformed into the team that always seems to come back in October? What lessons can any organization in today's very competitive marketplace learn from this fun-loving, together bunch?
Leadership - "It's not about being the smartest baseball man any more," Curt
Schilling said about manager Terry Francona. "It's about surrounding yourself
with the right people and putting your players in the best position to
succeed. It has to do with people skills."
Optimism - "We said if the series came back to Boston, we would come out on top," said Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen, a Boston native who attended numerous games as a youth and who is well aware of the team's history of flops. "We were pretty sure it was going to happen here."
Level-headedness - "I just think when you're in this kind of pressure cooker, you can either fold and kind of implode, or you can relax and be yourself," said Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "That's what our guys do: they relax and stay themselves. None of the circumstances bother them." "I think Manny put it really well," said Sox right fielder J.D. Drew. "There was always next year in his mind. That just kind of shows you how relaxed we were, the worst case [being] we were going home and the best case, 'Hey, we're moving on to the World Series.'"
Cultural diversity (age, race, language, religion, et al)- Daisuke Matsuzaka, Julio Lugo, Jonathan Papelbon, Coco Crisp, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell, Hideki Okajima, Tim Wakefield, etc.
Fun - From the fancy footwork of crazy closer Jonathan Papelbon to Manny being Manny, the Sox are just big kids having a good time with each
other and the game. The old Sox were known for 25 players, 25 cabs.
This group would choose to ride in an old, yellow school bus with Big
Papi at the wheel.
Passion - "This never, never, never, ever gets old," said relief pitcher Mike Timlin. "Ever!"
For us either, Mike. Go Sox!
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Tom,
I'll bet that you are pretty excited about the success of the Sox as of late.
I love your list. I often think that passion and fun go hand in hand (like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup). I know you have passion and fun, which is why your style is so engaging.
Posted by: Bill Gammell | October 24, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Your list is great. I especially love how you included cultural diversity into the mix. And you're right, it's not about being the smartest group anymore but knowing how to make use of every individual's potential. Although there is pressure to win, having fun and just being yourself will help you take your mind of the burden and allow you to perform even better.
Posted by: jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com | October 25, 2007 at 09:45 AM
I think you need to update this post!
Posted by: Rob Everton | October 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM