Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Lessons in Leadership

David Ross takes over as manager of the Chicago Cubs this season continuing a recent trend in Major League Baseball to hire managers with no prior managerial experience. Ross is making the most of this off season by preparing for his new job. In truth, though, he has been preparing for this job for quite some time.

As this article points out, Ross has been meeting with other successful managers and coaches. As I read this article, two important lessons stood out:

David Ross is a man who knows what he doesn't know. A common trap among leaders is to believe that either have all the answers or need to have all the answers. Ross has clearly been spending time this off season taking inventory of what he knows and in what areas his knowledge is lacking. This healthy sense of self-awareness will pay off in the long run.

David Ross is a man who is willing to seek out help from others. Another common trap among leaders is an unwillingness to seek out advice from other leaders. But Ross exemplifies one of the healthy quality of leaders in that he is continually learning. As part of that process he is intentionally seeking out advice from other successful leaders. That reputation also leads to successful leaders seeking him out too and being more willing to share their knowledge with him.

As a Cubs fan, I am excited about the possibilities that this season and beyond hold for the team. But I am even more excited to see how David Ross develops as a leader not just for his team but as an example for other leaders as well.

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