On Thursday night, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel relieved hitting coach Milt Thompson of his duties. Milt had been with the Phillies in this capacity for six years, preceding Manuel. In addition, Thompson had spent five years with the Phillies in the 1980's and 1990's during his 13 year career. By all accounts Thompson is a good man, excellent teacher, and dedicated worker. Was it his fault that his players didn't hit this year? Was it his fault that they scored less than four runs in nearly 40% of their games? Was it his fault that so many players were/are injured? The answers are yes, yes, yes and yes. Really?
Milt Thompson was the sacrificial lamb. Management can't fire the players (easily). His firing sent a message to the team that they cost a good man his job. So far, the Phillies have taken the message to heart. In the three games since Thompson's firing, they have scored 20 runs and won three in a row. They have significantly improved their situational hitting, especially when men are on base. Is this a permanent change? Time will tell. I was at the games on Friday and Saturday and saw a team that seemed to have regained their swagger. Phillies fans hope it lasts past the weekend if we hope to make it to the World Series for the third year in a row.
Does a message ever get sent in your organization? The bottom line in sports and business (both for and non profit) is to get results. It is up to the leaders in the organization to get results. If they don't, then changes have to be made. It is up to individual leaders and managers to drive results in a values-driven way to generate positive organizational results. If they don't, the time consuming and painful process of documenting poor performance begins. How an organization sends the message and follow up actions will determine the strength of the organization and development of the team.
Personnel changes are always difficult, especially in the middle of a season or project. Milt Thompson will land on his feet as do many who face the same challenge. Let's hope the Phillies get the message and save their own jobs.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The End of the Line
There comes a time in sports where a player retires. They may have had a highly successful career or been a bit player in the sport. Last week, my youngest son's American Legion team was knocked out of the playoffs. It was a surprise to everyone since they only lost three games in the regular season. Unfortunately, other teams were peaking at the right time.
He turns 19 this week so his Legion days are over. It has been a thrill to watch him play baseball for the last 15 years, many of which I had the opportunity to coach. He'll be a sophomore at Penn State in the fall and has aspirations of playing Club ball. We'll see how it all turns out. As far as local baseball goes, this is the end of the line. In his case, the last game is a definite end point. He may play in other leagues or at school but he won't be representing his community as a ballplayer. We had the same feeling a couple of years ago when our oldest son's high school football career ended on a chilly November night. In all our minds, a couple of games too early as they too were bounced from the playoffs. He went on to play a couple years at the University of Chicago. I had a chance to watch all his home games last year including the last one where he played most of the 4th quarter. That turned out to be his last game as he's moving on to focus on studies and plan for a career.
How do you celebrate the end of a career or an associate leaving your organization? While retirements are typically a celebration of one's career, those who leave for another organization are often ostracized. How an organization celebrates the contributions of the individual helps define their practiced core values. Do you honor the person? Are you pleased for them when they move on to another organization? Are you happy they have the chance to fulfill their dreams and ambitions? Unfortunately, many employers take someone leaving personally leaving an awkward situation in its wake. In fact, many organizations are so concerned that state secrets may be taken that they escort the individual out immediately. Don't get me wrong, this is necessary in some cases-but not all.
The end of the line doesn't have to be a morbid place, but can be one of celebration. While I would love to watch more baseball and football, I know that a chapter has closed and new, exciting ones are opening up. Celebrate those who leave and create a wonderful atmosphere for those who stay.
He turns 19 this week so his Legion days are over. It has been a thrill to watch him play baseball for the last 15 years, many of which I had the opportunity to coach. He'll be a sophomore at Penn State in the fall and has aspirations of playing Club ball. We'll see how it all turns out. As far as local baseball goes, this is the end of the line. In his case, the last game is a definite end point. He may play in other leagues or at school but he won't be representing his community as a ballplayer. We had the same feeling a couple of years ago when our oldest son's high school football career ended on a chilly November night. In all our minds, a couple of games too early as they too were bounced from the playoffs. He went on to play a couple years at the University of Chicago. I had a chance to watch all his home games last year including the last one where he played most of the 4th quarter. That turned out to be his last game as he's moving on to focus on studies and plan for a career.
How do you celebrate the end of a career or an associate leaving your organization? While retirements are typically a celebration of one's career, those who leave for another organization are often ostracized. How an organization celebrates the contributions of the individual helps define their practiced core values. Do you honor the person? Are you pleased for them when they move on to another organization? Are you happy they have the chance to fulfill their dreams and ambitions? Unfortunately, many employers take someone leaving personally leaving an awkward situation in its wake. In fact, many organizations are so concerned that state secrets may be taken that they escort the individual out immediately. Don't get me wrong, this is necessary in some cases-but not all.
The end of the line doesn't have to be a morbid place, but can be one of celebration. While I would love to watch more baseball and football, I know that a chapter has closed and new, exciting ones are opening up. Celebrate those who leave and create a wonderful atmosphere for those who stay.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Great Expectations
It's lonely at the top. We've heard this over and over again. Yet, this is exactly what athletes try and achieve, especially in individual sports like golf and tennis. This weekend, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal once again won Wimbledon-perhaps the most prestigious tournament of the year.
For Nadal, he won his second straight Grand Slam event. The first being the French Open several weeks ago. In both the Open and Wimbledon, he won in straight sets. His two opponents could not muster even one set. The road to his third Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open seems paved with pretenders unless Roger Federer can mount a comeback. No one is ready to give Nadal the U.S. Open title, but prospects look bleak for his opponents. His number one ranking is in no danger today.
Serena Williams won her 10th Grand Slam singles title on Saturday easily beating 21 seeded Vera Zvonareva (who?). This was her fourth Wimbledon singles title to go along with several doubles titles with her sister Venus. She too dominated her opponent in straight set and dispatched Zvonareva in 67 minutes to retain her number one ranking. Other than her sister-who is going to challenge her?
These two great champions have much in common. They work long, solitary hours to perfect their game. They are focused on winning, even if it doesn't play well in the papers. They are fully and completely committed to being at the top of their game and don't look to relinquish that seed or title anytime soon.
Do you have great expectations for your team? Is there one person continually at the top of the scale? If so, how do you challenge them? How do you create "opponents" that will try to exploit their weaknesses and make them stronger? Are they committed to working long hours to stay at the top of their game?
Often, leaders focus on those who need the most help-the squeaky wheel at the expense of our high performers. While this makes sense, most turnover occurs with our best and brightest. Sometimes it's dollar driven, but in my experience it often is a lack of attention. As leaders, we need to figure out how to make our best better. Great leaders get the most out of all their people and get energized seeing one of their own succeed and prosper. I suggest focusing on the top 20%-the rewards for the organization will be many and the individual, countless.
For Nadal, he won his second straight Grand Slam event. The first being the French Open several weeks ago. In both the Open and Wimbledon, he won in straight sets. His two opponents could not muster even one set. The road to his third Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open seems paved with pretenders unless Roger Federer can mount a comeback. No one is ready to give Nadal the U.S. Open title, but prospects look bleak for his opponents. His number one ranking is in no danger today.
Serena Williams won her 10th Grand Slam singles title on Saturday easily beating 21 seeded Vera Zvonareva (who?). This was her fourth Wimbledon singles title to go along with several doubles titles with her sister Venus. She too dominated her opponent in straight set and dispatched Zvonareva in 67 minutes to retain her number one ranking. Other than her sister-who is going to challenge her?
These two great champions have much in common. They work long, solitary hours to perfect their game. They are focused on winning, even if it doesn't play well in the papers. They are fully and completely committed to being at the top of their game and don't look to relinquish that seed or title anytime soon.
Do you have great expectations for your team? Is there one person continually at the top of the scale? If so, how do you challenge them? How do you create "opponents" that will try to exploit their weaknesses and make them stronger? Are they committed to working long hours to stay at the top of their game?
Often, leaders focus on those who need the most help-the squeaky wheel at the expense of our high performers. While this makes sense, most turnover occurs with our best and brightest. Sometimes it's dollar driven, but in my experience it often is a lack of attention. As leaders, we need to figure out how to make our best better. Great leaders get the most out of all their people and get energized seeing one of their own succeed and prosper. I suggest focusing on the top 20%-the rewards for the organization will be many and the individual, countless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
