Losing your grip

One of my passions is playing baseball — specifically, pitching.

The past couple of years the innings have been fewer.   We’ve moved into a more competitive league, and younger horses have become our mainstay on the mound.    Earlier this year seemed like it might be my last — the “out” pitches that used to be my trademark were just bouncing in the dirt.  Batters were too regularly becoming baserunners.

And then I realized why I’d been losing my grip, and it didn’t have anything to do with age.  In my heyday, I used to keep a baseball in the car.   At red lights without even thinking I’d practice holding & switching between different pitches.   Two-seam fastball — fingers along the seams.   Splitter — fingers spread outside the seams.  Change up — middle finger on top of the ball, others to the side.    Curve — wrist pronated, two fingers along one seam.

If your company is losing its grip and fighting extinction, are there any seemingly basic habits you’ve drifted away from?   Discipline is almost always the first thing to go when times are good. 

One of the most important disciplines missing in our clients is the basic habit of setting & reviewing SMART performance goals with each team member.      Specific.   Measurable.   Attainable.   Relevant.   Trackable.    

Sacred cows aren’t born, they are made by leaders who’ve gone soft.   Cultures of mediocrity result from leaders who have allowed team members to become anonymous, going thru the motions of the same old play-it-safe assignments that haven’t been measured or reviewed in years.

Want to get your grip back & jolt some life into your team?   While summer is still winding down, put together a 90 day Fall plan with SMART goals for yourself and for your team for how you want to end the year.   Put yourself on the hook.

Then have every leader & then every staffer do the same for themselves.   And schedule a Monthly Activity Reporting (MAR)  for the end of each month with your team to look at how you’re doing, to identify performance gaps, and to stimulate ideas for new opportunities.

You can do this with a large team, or a team as small as 2 or 3.   You’ll see performance AND morale improve , and once again get “out” those who aren’t committed to being part of a team with a big dream.