Only a year or two ago the man I was sitting across from in the office of his sports performance business had been in the dugouts of teams such as the Padres, Diamondbacks, Angels, and Astros. There was nothing but humility and a genuine authenticity that I sensed in him.
Over a year ago he and his business partner, who had been his trainer when he played, opened ProX in Westfield, IN. This facility exists to help athletes of all sports develop athletic performance, strength, and skill. I was not there to learn about their sports performance or even Mr. Thatcher’s career in baseball. We were there to talk about leadership.
After learning a little about his professional career in baseball and his business we discussed his three keys to leadership. As he talked, Joe drew from his experience in sports and the example of those who led him. At the core of his leadership are three principles that helped him realize his central theme.
Respect of Teammates
Three principles guided Joe as he sought to gain the respect of his teammates and guide him as he seeks to maintain the respect of those he leads.
Consistency
As an athlete he attempted to always be consistent both in performance and attitude. Having spent years around athletes personally, I understood how moody inconsistent players can be a drain and difficult to respect. While leading his organization, Joe strives to be consistent in his performance as an example to those he leads and bring stability to the organization.
Hard Work
In athletics as well as any other pursuit in life those who work hard gain the respect of their peers and colleagues. Joe served as a reliever in his baseball career and his consistent hard work earned the respect of the All-Star players that surrounded him. As the leader of his organization as those around him know he is working hard for the entire organization they respect him and often strive to work at a similar level.
Put the Team First
Baseball is a team sport and the pitcher must trust those behind him every time he throws the ball. When the pitcher takes the mound he can be concerned about his stats or the team’s result. This idea ties into Jim Collins concept of a level 5 leader in his book Good to Great. Collins describes a level 5 leader as an individual with great drive and humility. Both are required of a team player who gets results. A pitcher or a CEO that gets results has the drive to get the work done, but the humility to realize the team or organizational goals are the highest priority.
We explored a little more in detail what putting team above self looks like in an organization and he mentioned three practical areas:
- Employees – consider their needs
- Laid back environment – they need to get results, but are creating a people first atmosphere
- Family First – trust your employees to get their work done until given evidence otherwise and allow them space for family
Before concluding our time Joe shared a common leadership principle he learned from Buddy Black (Padres manager) and AJ Hinch (Astros manager):
Hire the best people you can and let them do what they do best . . . stay out of the way . . . provide what they need and let them run with it.
Joe values embracing the journey which helped him during his baseball career and will continue to help him as a business leader. What about you? Are you putting your people first as you try to align them with your organizational or team vision? Is your example one worth following? Do your principles or your emotions drive you? Take a minute and reflect on your leadership at work and home and write down one step you can take to grow your leadership and therefore your results. Need help thinking into your leadership results then contact me for a no cost to you one on one coaching session. Keep leading well.
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