[November 5, 2016] I love baseball. It’s an American sport that gives plenty enjoyment and its fun to watch, think about strategy, and have a good time with friends. Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs for winning the World Series in an exciting final game 7. The last time they won was in 1908!
But that’s not all … there is more to winning than having great players and loyal fan base, it requires both a good coach (and staff) as well as a talented team that’s willing to follow the leadership of head Coach Joe Maddon. For those of us who study leadership, we would do well to take a close look at Maddon and his leadership. Studying success is, of course, one way to make ourselves better.
“The thing I’ve always heard about the Cubs being lovable losers, I never quite understood that. That’s not the way I was raised …” – Chicago Cubs Coach Joe Maddon
Coach Maddon is a winner. You can read about his winning achievements and honors (see link here and here) and about his long career. But we would do best by also studying this current season in 2016 to find out more about the team as a whole. They’re a great team that deserves our respect for such an accomplishment. I expect more great things from this team.
I found the Cub’s 2016 unofficial motto “Try not to Suck” particularly interesting. It began in their spring training camp and it was advertising their hope for the upcoming 2016 season.1 Maddon thought that if they didn’t suck, they might be able of ending the 108-year World Series drought. The rest is history.
Getting back to Coach Maddon; he inspires confidence, loyalty to baseball and his Cubs, and creates a positive baseball culture. When he came to Chicago in 2014 he was already a respected baseball man with plenty of credibility. Carefully built, his reputation was the product of four decades of hard work, a little luck, and a philosophy of teamwork that surpasses most organizations.
The Chicago Cubs will continue to be a great baseball club as long as Maddon is part of it.
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