You Need a Good Closer and 9 More Baseball Analogies for Business

Summer and baseball go hand in hand. Since the MLB’s season is nearing its mid-season All Star Break, we thought it was a good time to share these ten business lessons you can only learn from baseball analogies.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game: 10 Business Truths You Could Only Learn from Baseball Analogies

In business, you might get more (or less) than three strikes before you get sent back to the dugout, but there are plenty of baseball analogies that are true about business too. Last month our own Elizabeth Kraus published an article on LinkedIn with baseball analogies that was well-received by active members titled Every Hit Isn’t a Home Run: 10 Things Baseball Can Teach You About Business which began this way:

“It’s easy to get discouraged when a great idea doesn’t pan out, a brilliant article doesn’t go viral or you seem to hit a losing streak. At times like these, remember that – like in baseball – business success hinges on more than one attempt.

So go ahead and swing for the fences or try to throw that perfect pitch, but keep in mind that it’s probably going to take more than one at-bat to get the win.”

While writing the article, it became apparent that the first ten insights were just the tip of the iceberg, so she came up with a list of ten more baseball analogies that could help business owners better manage and lead their organizations.

10 Baseball Analogies for Business Leaders

1. If you want to fill the stands, give fans a reason to show up

From bobble head nights to cheap seats or (best of all) winning seasons, fans aren’t just going to show up because they’ve got nothing better to do. If you want more brand fans, you’ve got to give them a reason to show up!

2. The best taglines occur organically

In 2001, the Seattle Mariners posted a staggering 116 wins, tying the record for the most ever wins in a regular season of MLB baseball. In many cases, that required a come from behind win with winning runs being scored regularly in the 8th and 9th innings. The tagline that emerged from this phenomenon was “Refuse to Lose,” and it stuck.

You can spend loads of time and resources trying to come up with elegant, engaging or electrifying marketing campaigns, but ultimately you will find your best taglines and value propositions arise from your fans and the day-in, day-out performance of your brand.

3. Player injuries impact strategy

When an employee is out or under-performing for even a short period of time it can affect the team’s performance as a whole. Lose a key contributor for several weeks or forever, and it might mean you need to re-think your whole strategy.

4. You’ve got to know where the heavy hitters belong in your line up

(AL) American League MLB fans are familiar with the concept of how to use the Designated Hitter (a hitter who hits in place of the pitcher for all games played in the AL American League or where the AL is the home team). The key to effective use of these players for whom moving runners into scoring position and bringing runs in to score is their only job lies in putting them in the right spot in the lineup. A home run hitter who comes to the plate with no one on base can only score one run at a time. Get some batters on board ahead of him with singles or walks and you can score several runs at a time.

In business, it’s critical that you put people in the roles to which they are best suited, and that you know when it’s time to bring in that heavy hitter to solve a critical problem or bring sales in the door.

5. The manager must be prepared to change pitchers

Sometimes it’s obvious when an individual is in a role they aren’t well suited for or have grown tired of performing; in fact, some players will yank themselves out of the game. Others might require a manager to take action and make a move that the player won’t welcome.

6. Accept the fact that you’re going to have some rain outs

Losses are bad enough, but when you’re looking forward to a game and you don’t even get to play it can be even more frustrating, especially when your team really needs a win.

In business, like in baseball, sometimes things happen and you lose an opportunity to bid on an important job or pitch to someone you thought would be a game-changing client. It’s just part of the game and the best thing you can do is to start preparing for the next game.

7. Sometimes the best strategy is to rest and reserve your best players

The MLB baseball season lasts from April to October with a grueling game and travel schedule. If you don’t rest your best players once in a while or hold some players back in reserve, you might just find that injuries and burnout take a toll and you have no one left to put in.

8. The best place to deal out discipline and criticism in the locker room

Serving up criticism or corrections in front of other people is almost never a good idea. In many cases, it points to the last straw leading up to an employee resignation or firing. Not only does public criticism affect the individual receiving it poorly, it also puts the rest of the team on notice that this could happen to them, and could seriously undermine morale and employee loyalty.

9. Great managers nearly always take one for the team

Great leaders inspire loyalty and earn the admiration and respect of people inside and outside of the organization when they choose to accept responsibility for problems, losses and other challenges that are simply part of the life of a MLB manager. If you are seen as a leader who takes the heat with customers or the higher-ups, it’s also likely that you are a leader with loyal followers who will go the extra mile to help you get a win.

10. You need a good closer

A good closer makes all the difference in a tight game and the teams that make it to the World Series usually have world-class closers. Whether your good closer is an individual, call to action or a compelling reason to do business with you, every business needs a good closer!

You might also like: 8 Business Lessons from Football, Courtesy of the NFL Pre-Season