Making Assumptions

We all do it-we make assumptions about situations in life and more often than not its not true or backfires. An assumption occurs when we take something for granted without proof. Over the past several weeks we have all watched the baseball playoffs. As you know, many assumptions have been made by announcers, critics and fans about all the playoff teams. Here are a few that I heard:

• Jonathon Broxton is unhittable. Perhaps he is at Dodger Stadium. The announcers on TBS said all the Dodgers had to do was get to Broxton and the Phillies would be toast. Broxton walks Matt Stairs, hits Carlos Ruiz and allows a walk-off hit to Jimmy Rollins in game four of the NLCS.
• CC Sabathia will get the Yankees off to a good start. He pitched ok, but gave up two home runs to Chase Utley (see below). The Phillies went on to win 6-1 and took the lead in the series (it has since been tied).
• Chase Utley is worn out and creates a hole in the Phillies line up. Mr. Utley hits two home runs in his first two at bats against Sabathia.
• Jonathan Papelbon doesn't lose at Fenway Park. He gave up two runs in the eighth inning of game three and blew the save and game in the ninth as the Angels swept the Red Sox.

In baseball, every situation is different. The playoffs are pressure packed and unless you look at the situation in its entirety, you may miss something that will change your thought process. In each case above, there were variables that the pundits missed causing them to make an assumption that was incorrect.

Isn't this true in life and in the workplace. We make assumptions all the time about a person, department, management. Often, it is a cover up for your own failings and creates the blame game. Look at each situation in a new light. Analyze all the variables and give people the opportunity to react in their own way before you burden them with your opinion. Assumptions do make an a_ _ out of you and me. Do yourself a favor-stop making them!

Knowing Your Role

This week's blog comes from my business partner, Tom Charno. He suggested the title after watching the fourth game of the National League Championship Series. As you probably know, the Phillies won their second National League Championship on Wednesday and are going back to the World Series. We saw the Phils play three games this week. While games three and five were blowouts (nonetheless enjoyable), game four was one for the ages. For an excellent historical perspective, read Jason Stark's article on ESPN.com. In that game, Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies shortstop, hit a triple in the gap toward right field to score Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz. Bruntlett was pinch-running for Matt Stairs who drew a walk pinch hitting for Pedro Feliz. Rollins was the hero, but the win spoke as much about the other three players, Stairs, Ruiz and Bruntlett.

Players who don't start and come off the bench are often called role players. In the case of Bruntlett and Stairs, they know their role is to pinch hit (Stairs) or pinch run or play the field (Bruntlett). They have no expectations of starting and must be ready at all times to come off the bench and perform. On Monday night, they did just that. Matt Stairs coaxed a walk off the Dodgers pitcher to get on base with one out. Carlos Ruiz, the starting catcher who morphs into "Senor Octubre" in the playoffs got hit by a pitch. Greg Dobbs, another pinch hitting role player, lined out to third for the second out. Two on, two out and Jimmy Rollins performs his magic, Bruntlett and Ruiz score. Phillies Win! A great game won by Rollins' hit but made possible by the role players. A true team effort.

How about your organization? Do you have role players? Do you have team members who know the reason they're in the organization and perform their duties without complaint and at a high level? For an organization to succeed, they need to have a vision and leaders who motivate their team to execute toward that vision. The daily execution is performed by role players who understand what they need to do day in and day out. Often this is called "blocking and tackling" because of the fundamental aspect of the job. Leaders were once role players who performed well and rose in the company. Some make careers out of being role players. No shame at all in that. In fact, some of the finest people I've worked with take pride in performing their role and being an important part of the company.

Does your organization have role players? Do they know their role? If not, make it a point to explain their value, what they need to do, and give them the tools to perform their best every day!

Personal Issues-Professional Impact

Last week, Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, started the second game of the National League playoffs. He pitched five innings giving up four runs and ultimately took the loss. Not a sharp performance. We found out after the game that his wife Heidi was in labor and gave birth to a son the next morning.

Flash back one year. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, was benched in the second half of a game against the Baltimore Ravens after playing terribly. His play had been awful for several weeks. A couple of weeks later, his wife delivered twins. He had a great finish to the year and took the Eagles to the NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals.

As sports fans, we expect that players will play at a consistently high level week in and week out. In fact, many athletes pride themselves in being able to compartmentalize personal or off field issues from game day. Personally, I don't buy it. Maybe for a few games, but not over the course of a season. It's hard to imagine you wouldn't be impacted by the birth of a child, the first pregnancy you and your wife are going through. I know I was excited and nervous for the birth of both boys.

The nuances of leadership require that you understand, appreciate and sometimes celebrate a staff member's personal life. Admittedly, results are what counts-but you also have to lead for the long run. I don't know if Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had much choice in starting Hamels against the Colorado Rockies. I do know it would take a unique individual to get on the mound and pitch knowing his wife was close to delivering their first child. Should fans hold athletes to a different standard than we would ourselves or a co-worker? A friend of mine says we should because of the millions they are paid. I say not so fast! We have to assume that personal issues will impact professional results. As leaders, we need to do what we can to be empathetic while getting the person back on track professionally.

I wish I could say that Hamels bounced back and pitched a gem against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. He pitched ok, but he'll need to improve if the Phillies are going to repeat as World Champions. Congratulations to the Hamels' family on their newborn son.

The Agony of Defeat

On Tuesday, I watched one of the best baseball games I've ever seen. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins were tied in the American League Central Division after a full season of 162 games. A one game playoff ensued. The game was pushed to Tuesday night to accommodate the Vikings-Packers game on Monday night.


Back and forth the the game went. After nine innings, the game was still tied. It seemed that they would play well into the night when the Twins finally won in the bottom of the 12th inning. As you can imagine, the Metrodome (home of the Twins) erupted in unbridled joy as did the Twins themselves. The Tigers on the other hand were left to wonder what happened. They had a 7 game lead in early September. They had a two game lead going into the last weekend of the season. They lost 2 of 3 and the Twins swept the Royals to end up in a tie. I'm sure there were many in Detroit who thought the division crown was in the bag and were planning for the playoffs. This includes players, managers and fans. The Twins-Tigers game showed both "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."


The past couple of years businesses have been witnessing and feeling the agony of defeat. Long-time customers are heading for greener pastures; businesses are closing expectantly leaving their suppliers holding the bag; the big sale doesn't happen even after promises have been made to the contrary. There should be no excuse for an organization not to see the signs of a customer leaving, closing or promising one thing and doing another. It means that the organization hasn't executed as a team. They haven't developed relationships throughout the organization. We haven't asked the tough questions. Good business practices requires execution on a daily basis. Fall down one day, pick yourself up and go at it again. Allow the organization to fall down and not get up quickly will create a death spiral. Just like baseball players, organizations can't turn themselves off and on at a moment's notice. Work hard, be consistent, demand much of each other. Execute properly to avoid the agony of defeat!

Celebrations and Memories

This week, baseball teams across the land celebrated their advancement to the post season. First the Yankees, then the Cardinals, Red Sox, Angels and Phillies. We wait only for the Dodgers to win one game and the Twins and Tigers battle in the American League Central Division. Some wonder why teams celebrate getting into the playoffs. After all, it's on the first step. They know how difficult it is to win the ultimate prize, the World Series. After a season lasting six months, all teams understand the difficulties of staying healthy, performing at the highest level, and avoiding numerous pitfalls. Some known and others not fathomable.

Earlier this week, an especially poignant celebration occurred in Anaheim, California. You may remember a pitcher named Nick Adenhart. He was 23 and had earned on spot as the number three starter in the Angels rotation. In his first start, he pitched six strong innings in a game on April 8th. It was to be his last. As he and some friends were coming home from dinner they were hit by an alleged drunk driver. Adenhart died soon after from his injuries. It was a terrible loss that is still being felt by the Angels and their community. Fast forward to Monday night when the Angels clinched the American League Western Division crown. As the Angels celebrated on the field they paused then went out to celebrate in front of the Adenhart memorial in the outfield.


It is vitally important to celebrate the achievement of goals. While spraying champagne and beer over each other in your organization may not be appropriate-taking the time to mark and enjoy the achievement of milestones is. One thing that organizations universally lack is making time to savor the "win." These can last minutes or they can be done in the way of a retreat or trip. I once worked for a general manager that would have a party when the plug had been pulled on a research and development project. It was important to recognize the effort, even if the priority had shifted or the technology couldn't be developed. This did wonders for morale and told those involved that their efforts were appreciated. Don't be afraid to "pop the cork" or have a piece of cake as you achieve your goals and move your organization forward.

Milton Bradley is not a Board Game

As a kid, I played many a game by Milton Bradley. It seemed like every board game I had was a Milton Bradley game. Battleship, Operation, Barrel of Monkeys, Stratego, to name a few. What a difference a few (say 35) years make. In 2000 baseball star Milton Bradley hit the major leagues. He has always been a tremendous talent, but turmoil follows him wherever he goes. Since breaking into the majors, he has played for seven teams, including the Chicago Cubs this year. He had a great year for the Texas Rangers last year allowing him to sign a three year, $30 million contract prior to the season. We must assume that the Cubs thought that Bradley had turned the corner given his MVP type year in Texas. Unfortunately for all concerned, this was not the case. Let's look at Bradley's year. In April, the league suspended him for a game for bumping an umpire. In June, he threw a ball to fans after recording the second out. Clearly a problem when it takes three outs to complete an inning. In June, Cubs manager Lou Pinella sent him home after a dugout tirade. Fast forward to last week when Bradley felt compelled to complain to a local Chicago paper, the Daily Herald, that "It's not just a positive environment. I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment. There's too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly. Everything is just bashing you. You got out there and you play harder than anybody on the field and never get credit for it. It's just negativity. And you understand why they haven't won in 100 years here, because it's negative. It's what it is." General Manager, Jim Hendry, had enough and sent him home for the season with pay.


The question is why would any organization take on a Milton Bradley, Terrell Owens, or Allen Iverson. They are all extremely talented but selfish players creating a cancer in every clubhouse they reside. In each case, with any team, it's addition by subtraction when they leave. For us in our organizations, it's important to realize that talent alone won't ensure results. At the end of the day, organizations do much better with team players who are looking to get results for the benefit of the entire organization-not just themselves. In my experience, it almost never works out for the individual performer in the long run. Their resume gets longer and longer as they wear out their welcome. Even though job movement is not the red flag as it once was-do be aware when a candidate moves every 18 months to 2 years. It probably means they can't integrate into the system. It also means you won't be able to change them either. Let buyer beware when finding talent for your organization. The prima donna may not be the best fit.

A Leader's First Test

A couple of weeks ago I was on the couch recovering from foot surgery and taking in any and all sporting events on television. As I was watching SportsCenter that Friday, the lead story was University of Oregon star running back, LeGarrette Blount, punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the face. It was quite a blow and knocked Hout down. Blount was restrained but then tried to go after Boise State fans who saw the blow and taunted from the stands. Once Blount was in the locker room and calmed down, he apologized and was contrite, but the damage was done. It turns out this was the first game for Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Quite a situation for a new leader. Kelly, after consulting with the University, suspended Blount for the season effectively ending his college career. He did not end his scholarship and is allowing him to practice with the team. The message here is that unsportsmanlike conduct is not accepted, but we're going to try to make a good citizen out of him. I think it has set a good tone.

Throughout our career we are given new assignments and are tested. For some, like Chip Kelly, it is early in his tenure, for others it may take awhile. How will you react when you are tested? What message will you send? Will this be a pivotal point that your team can look to or will you be inconsistent in your decision making. Time will tell for Chip Kelly, but for any one of us, that test and re-test can come daily.

As a new leader, you want to get the facts and make a decision based on your core values, the organization's core values (hopefully they are in alignment) and what's good for the organization overall. It's a chance for you to define yourself, set boundaries, and show your style of leadership. You must look at these tests as a blueprint going forward, not unlike a court case setting the precedent for future rulings. Though these tests are hard, they have impact. In my opinion, Chip Kelly acted swiftly, did what was right for the organization, but took into account football's responsibility for LeGarrette Blount. Let's see how it plays out.