I went to see Moneyball on Sunday, Brad Pitt‘s newest movie. It’s a well-acted, interesting (though slow-moving) story of how Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane (Pitt) used statistical analysis to put players on the field who could get on base and score runs. This was counter to the usual goal of going after the big name, high dollar super-stars that most teams – especially the A’s – couldn’t afford, anyway. Once the right players were in place, Beane was convinced that if they would buy into his vision, if they were coached to play into their strengths, and if they played as a team, they would win.
At one point, Beane goes to the home of Scott Hatteberg, a player that all the other teams thought was washed up. Scotty used to be a catcher, but an elbow injury and surgery meant he couldn’t throw the baseball any more. But, what he could do was get on base. Here is generally how part of the conversation went:
Beane: I don’t care about your elbow. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve thrown your last ball from behind the plate. I want you at first.
Scotty: But, I’ve been a catcher my whole life.
Beane: Well, you aren’t anymore. Do you want to play for the Oakland Athletics? Then you’re going to play first base.
Scotty: But,
Beane: You don’t know how to play first base. Of course you don’t. We’re going to teach you. We are going to teach you.
I’m not giving away the rest of the movie by telling you that Scotty accepted the offer. He still wanted to play baseball. He struggled a lot at first. Even though Scotty had been playing the game since he was a kid and had been a good catcher, it was really hard to play well in a completely new position.
Guess what, though? He learned. He changed. Scotty became an adequate first baseman, but more importantly, scored a lot of runs. And, scoring runs is what helped the team win games.
I was so struck by this interaction that I pulled out a pad of paper and pen in the theater and scribbled as much as I could recall. What a great lesson for us all!
Things change. We are sometimes asked to take on new roles. New leadership may have a new way of playing the game. They might think that different things should be a priority. But in the end, if you can approach the game with an open mind, play to your strengths, trust the new vision, and come together as a team, chances are you’ll win the game.
In baseball or business.
Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and hopefully, motivational. I hope you find some meaning in them.
