@mbrewer

Much has been written and much will be written about the perfect game that was not –

I see a major leadership lesson in the action that rocked the baseball world just a few nights ago.

Lesson #1: Admit

How many times do we as operators and managers drop the ball? I would be humble enough to suggest that I employ the super bouncy ball dropping method of dropping balls on a near daily basis. I exercise such strategies as forgetting to write it down, ignoring the reminders I have set in my phone and laptop and plan old fashion ignorance. All that being said, I have come to understand the power of Admitting the shortcoming.

As it relates to THE CALL – I admire what Jim Joyce had to say after he viewed the replay:

“I just cost that kid a perfect game,” Joyce said. “I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

“It was the biggest call of my career,” said Joyce, who became a full-time major league umpire in 1989.

Lesson #2: Apologize

I read a book nearly ten years ago titled: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum – one of the lessons described is the ability to say – I’m Sorry. How many times do we launch into the why-for’s and what-not’s – siting policies, procedures, protocol and make-it-up-on-the-fly alternatives to simply saying – You know – I apologize that we gave cause for you to drive 27 miles to our corporate office to meet with upper-management over the fact that your faucet has been leaking for over a month now and despite 33 requests to fix it – nothing was done. I agree that that is far from the service you should expect in exchange for the biggest check you write out each and every month – faithfully.

As it relates to THE CALL – I admire what Jim Joyce did and said later:

DETROIT—Armando Galarraga squeezed the ball in his mitt, stepped on first base with his right foot and was ready to celebrate the first perfect game in Detroit Tigers’ history.

What happened next will be the talk of baseball for the rest of this season and likely a lot longer.

Umpire Jim Joyce emphatically called Cleveland’s Jason Donald safe and a chorus of groans and boos echoed in Comerica Park.

Then Joyce emphatically said he was wrong and later, in tears, hugged Galarraga and apologized.

Lesson #3: Acknowledge

The end all be all mother load of goodness played out the following night:

In a classy gesture meant to show the world the Tigers had moved on from the night before, manager Jim Leyland had pitcher Armando Galarraga — instead of Leyland or a coach — bring the lineup card to the home-plate umpire.

All I can say is -WOW! Class Acts All The Way Around. I often joke that watching baseball is like watching paint dry – and if given a choice I ask that the color be multiple shades of red and black preferably in a satin finish. But, this episode has given me a whole new perspective of the game – namely the people who played it well over the last two nights and the actions they exercised despite the wholly emotionally loaded circumstances! Yeah – for the kids old enough to understand what happened – that is where it mattered most.

Have a smashing weekend. – M

Photo credit: NJ.com