The Houston Astros recently faced the Washington Nationals in the World Series, so I've been thinking a lot about lessons from the Astros and baseball in general.
Analytics are great, but you need the human side, too. A few years ago, a lot of players were unhappy with the Astros' new data-centered approach. Fans and sports experts questioned the method. Fast-forward to 2017, when sports writers and major newspapers wrote articles on how the Astros' focus on culture and chemistry, plus analytics, led to the team's first World Series. Now, when pitchers join the Astros, they speak glowingly about meetings where they learn more about the pitches that lead them to greatness. Spend as much time getting the culture right and making sure employees feel valued as you spend analyzing reports and prescriptively scheduling employees.
You need a utility player. One challenge in baseball is the chance of an unexpected injury to an important player. Rosters are limited, and not every position has a backup. Utility players fill the gap. Aledmys Diaz of the Astros can play several positions, giving the team more options when another player is out of action. In your business, is there an employee who contributes more than his or her title indicates? Maybe a product line is countercyclical to the main product so the company can weather downturns. Evaluate each employee or product line to understand the true value beyond the numbers on the page.
Give superstars the leeway and support they need. Justin Verlander does not spend as much time on analytics as other pitchers, but his performance is phenomenal. Being in the moment is more important to his performance than remembering data about each hitter. In the end, he is able to shake off the catcher's call and make the final decision. If you have a great salesperson on your team, but he or she does not follow your sales process, you ultimately have to decide if process or results are most important. You cannot ignore bad behavior in the workplace, but reconsider the importance of paperwork or data entry for employees who perform phenomenally.
Decisions you make for the short term can cost you in the long term. Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow knows every time a big trade helps in the short term, it ultimately costs the team in the long term through draft picks, prospects, less salary room for other players, etc. Of course, you want to win, and it is worth the future cost if a trade gives you the boost you need to reach the playoffs. However, balancing short-term results with the future of your team or company is important.
Proper coaching and managing matters. How many times has Brent Strom, the Astros pitching coach, settled down a pitcher in a jam? The players trust him, and no one can argue about the improvements pitchers make when they play for the Astros and are coached by Strom. Whether an employee is hitting it out of the park or going through a slump, how you react makes a difference. The approach needs to be tailored to each individual. Manager training and soft skills are keys to improving performance. The best managers and coaches in baseball are not necessarily the ones who were "all stars."
Enjoy the process. The 2017 Astros championship team seemed to play with joy and kept working even when the odds were against them. The 2018 team was under so much pressure to repeat the previous season, it was not able to make things happen in the crunch. We all spend a lot of time at work. Have some fun and see better results!
The best team or biggest payroll doesn't always win. There are elements of luck, momentum and human error in every game or business decision. For a sale, you could be competing against the decision maker's college roommate and be out of the running without even knowing it. Alternatively, you may be able to beat the larger competitor because of a more tailored approach. Have resilience in the face of a loss and never give up!
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