The Legends of LA

This piece may seem a couple of weeks old, but the reflections will be timely. The last few weeks have reminded us that there is wisdom in Los Angeles. Ten days ago, Phil Jackson guided his Los Angeles Lakers to their 2nd consecutive NBA title. For Jackson, it was his 11th, between the Lakers and the Chicago Bulls.

A couple of weeks ago, we learned of the passing of legendary UCLA Bruins basketball coach, John Wooden at the age of 99. He coached the Bruins to 10 NCAA Championships in his 27 years at the University. He was a great man who shared his wisdom in books, players and and countless interviews. He was remembered last night at Pauley Pavillion where his seat was retired where he watched the Bruins for nearly 25 years.

What binds these two great coaches besides geography? The fact that both ended up in Los Angeles is a coincidence. Both are from the Midwest-Wooden from Indiana and Jackson from Montana. Both played basketball-Jackson in the NBA where he collected two more championships as a player with the New York Knicks in the early 70's. Both are brilliant men who have made it their business to know how there players think and work together. In general, they have the following in common:

• Great players
• Ability to motivate
• Life balance
• Sincerity

Both men had great players. In fact, as Jackson mulls retirement, many are stating that you don't need a great coach for this team. It should run on its own. Don't be deceived. Great players need great coaches. One supports the other. It's called respect. Players need to believe in their coach in times of stress, when the game's on the line. Even players making four times the salary. The ability to say the right thing at the right time is a common gift among the two coaches. They both seem to have balanced lives and focus on the important things. Finally, both are sincere, approachable and wise.

How about your organization? Do you have a great staff? Can you motivate them in times of stress? Do you create an opportunity for life balance? Are you sincere, approachable and trustworthy? Most leaders complain they don't have the right people in the right place. I've been guilty of this in the past. A good leader attracts good players who understand their system and want to be motivated. A good leader develops their team to take the organization to the next level.

We can learn a lot from these two men. I suggest reading their books and understand their fundamentals of leadership. Phil Jackson-congratulations and Coach Wooden-RIP.

What You See Early is What You Get

This week, several rookies made their major league debut. None bigger than last year's first pick in the baseball draft-Stephen Strasburg. Last June, he was finishing his stellar career at San Diego State University under the tutelage of Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn. That month, he was also selected first in the draft by the lowly Washington Nationals. Since then, he has pitched lights out at every stop (albeit short) along the way. His minor league career began in October and last nearly eight months before joining the Nationals last week.

So how did his first start go? "Preposterous" says Bob Costas. Strasburg started the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and pitched seven innings. Along the way, he allowed 2 earned runs, gave up no walks and struck out an incredible 14 Pirate hitters. One short of the record for a debut. Unbelievably, he struck out the last seven batters he faced! Oh, by the way, he also throws 100 mph on occasion.

Yesterday, was another debut by a rookie in Boston. Daniel Nava started in left field. All he did was hit a grand slam home run on the first pitch he saw! Not a bad start to a career. More on Daniel Nava another time (perhaps because I'm upset it was against the Phillies).

I had a boss that used to say, "what you see early is what you get." It goes both ways. If you see someone working hard, asking good questions, interacting well with others and getting results-chances are that person is going to be a good hire and employee. If you see someone who is chatty, questioning why they have to do something, whiny and has attitude problems-guess what, institute a 90 day probation policy. That person will also do the same throughout their employment.

Early results like we have seen from Strasburg and Nava don't necessarily forecast hall of fame induction. But they do forecast work ethic, clubhouse chemistry and desire to win. In baseball and all sports, the road to the top is tricky and requires one to stay healthy along the way. In an organization, there may be fits and starts, but the one with the good work ethic, attitude and desire for results is going to receive more coaching, focus and help from others to ensure they do well.

You may want to consider utilizing a temp-to-hire or probation period hiring policy. See what a person is like before making the commitment to hire full-time. Talk to an HR professional or labor lawyer for details and applicability in your state. Here's to a good week for the rookies-how about the ones in your office?

The (Un) Perfect Game and Stand Up Guys

I'm driving home Wednesday night listening to the Detroit Tigers game against the Cleveland Indians. Being from Detroit, XM Radio allows me to listen to my home town team when the Phillies aren't playing. Low and behold, Armando Galaragga had retired 21 Indians in a row. No hits, errors or walks. I got home as the Tigers finished batting in the 8th and turned on MLB Network with one out in the top of the 9th. I think most Americans know what happened next. Jim Joyce, know as an excellent umpire, missed the call (badly) on what should have been the final out and preserved the third perfect game of the season and the 21st in the history of baseball.

There are a lot of angles on this story. Last July, I wrote about Mark Buerhle's perfect game being a sum of all the parts. In a perfect game, everything has to go right. I didn't mention the umpires, but clearly they have to be perfect too. The call Jim Joyce made was atrocious and will haunt him the rest of his career. But there is a silver lining to this story and lessons for all of us. The next day, Jim Joyce stood in front of the cameras and stated unequivocally that he made a mistake. He apologized and took all questions asked of him. Jim Leyland, the Tigers' manager, stated in his press conference that Jim Joyce is an excellent ump and he made a mistake but showed support for Joyce. Most important, Armando Galarraga, showed real class by not bad mouthing Joyce and accepting his apology. Best of all, Galarraga took the line up card to home plate the next day where Joyce was the home plate ump. It was an emotional scene as Joyce openly wept and Galarraga patted him on the back.

What's the lesson for us and our organization? Many. How many of us admit our mistakes? In my experience, not many. Jim Joyce could have avoided the press and said he did his best. Instead, he acknowledged his error and asked for forgiveness to the only person that counts-Galarraga. Think of all the buck passing in organizations to try to cover up a mistake or not be called out. In my experience, those that admit they are wrong or made a mistake are forgiven and the assumption is it won't happen again. Why don't more of us admit it? We take the heat once and we're done. It may be that they don't feel their organization will watch their back and support them. These are usually the same organizations that have high turnover and pay headhunting fees to bring new talent on board.

We can't expect perfection, but we can strive for perfection every day. Armando Galarraga was perfect on June 2nd, but Jim Joyce wasn't. Maybe that explains why there have been 20 perfect games thrown in baseball's history. Remember, you can't control all events, but you can control your reaction. Jim Joyce, Jim Leyland and Armando Galarraga were perfect in their reaction.