To those of us who love the game, baseball is more than just a sport. It’s a way of life. A part of our language. A lens through which we view the world. And a training ground for valuable life lessons.

For example, when we ponder why it is that more Major League Baseball managers previously played catcher than any other position, the answers provide us with insights that we might apply to our own workplace. 

(Some of the key reasons, in case you were wondering: Catchers are uniquely positioned to see the whole field at once, giving them a singular, big-picture perspective; they are involved in every pitch of the game and need to always be strategically thinking a few steps ahead; they often act as the on-field general; they need to develop the technical skills, the communication skills, and the people skills to handle a pitching staff; and they need to be "on the ball" at all times. All of which trains them to begin to think and to act as a coach, a manager, and a leader.)

So, with that analogy in mind, you might ask yourself: What "catcher's skills" do I need to develop? And in what ways is what I'm doing today grooming me for tomorrow?

Continuing the baseball analogy, in the office you might need to consider such common questions as: Who on my team could I ask to "pinch run" for me when I'm too busy or unable to perform; when might I need to "sacrifice" for the good of the team; or when do I, perhaps, need some "relief" in terms of bringing in someone else to help seal the deal and "close" out the win?

When we have two strikes against us – whether on the field, at work, or in life – we need to have the wisdom to know when to bear down, choke up, and just try to make contact rather than swinging for the fences. To be able to recognize the difference between when we're needed to be the hero vs. when what's needed is for us to just find a way to get on base and let someone else drive us in.

Get ‘em on; get ‘em over; get ‘em in. That’s what it’s all about...in baseball, in business, and in life.

All in all, our great American pastime has, over the course of our lives, "coached" many of us to think about and get better at a wide range of life- and work-related skill sets including: time management, communication, innovation, strategic thinking, management, leadership, teamwork, and so much more -- all while enjoying some peanuts and Cracker Jacks (with the hope of finding a good prize inside!).

Both on the field and off, whether we realize it or not, baseball has become an inescapable part of our everyday language:

“Let’s touch base next week.”

“That marketing campaign was a home run.”

“The new guy is really on the ball.”

“Will you pinch hit for me at tomorrow’s meeting?”

“I really struck out with that proposal.”

“Can you give me a ballpark estimate of what it’s gonna cost?”

"That last-minute client request came out of left field."

“Your suggestion was a grand slam!”

So even if we don’t play professional baseball for a living, when challenged to "hit it out of the park" in our work or personal lives, baseball can serve as a powerful and inspirational metaphor.

So now, with Opening Day upon us, and with spring in the air, it’s a perfect time for reflection, renewal, and regeneration – and to think about how we might look to the baseball diamond for some answers. For those of you who may not have your own life coach or executive coach (let alone your own bench coach), we would like to suggest that you seek out some coaching wisdom from the ball field by pondering the following sampling of self-reflection questions from our coaching handbook, “What Would Your Baseball Ask?”

Before you slide head-first into answering these questions for yourself, take a moment to think about the personal and/or professional goals you're trying to reach and consider how, by exploring these questions from the various baseball-related perspectives, you can increase your odds of making it around the bases and scoring the winning run:

1. The “HOME PLATE” Perspective: What is your ultimate goal?

2. The “OUTFIELD FENCE” Perspective: What would “knocking it out of the park” look like for you?

3. The “FIRST BASE” Perspective: What is the first milestone you need to achieve?

4. The “BASEBALL BAT” Perspective: What tools do you need to get the job done?

5. The “PITCHING COACH” Perspective: Who can help you get ready?

6. The “BASEBALL MITT” Perspective: What opportunities might you be able to reach out and grab?

7. The “BASE LINE” Perspective: How will you know if you’re going in the right direction?

8. The “CATCHER’S MASK” Perspective: What realities do you need to face?

9. The “PINE TAR” Perspective: What are you going to do if you get in a sticky situation?”

10. The “BATTER’S BOX” Perspective: Where do you need to take a stand?

11. The “UMPIRE'S” Perspective: “What rules do you need to play by?”

12. The “SPIKES” Perspective: Where do you need more traction?

13. The “SECOND BASE” Perspective: How will you get yourself into scoring position?

14. The “HITTING COACH” Perspective: What adjustments do you need to make?

15. The “THIRD BASE COACH” Perspective: What signs do you need to pay attention to?

16. The “PITCHER’S MOUND” Perspective: Where could you use a new point of view?

17. The “THIRD BASE” Perspective: When you’re almost there…what do you need to do next to reach your goal?

18. The “BATTING GLOVES” Perspective: How are you going to get a grip on things?

19. The “BASEBALL CAP” Perspective: How do you keep your head in the game?

20. The “FANS” Perspective: “Who’s rooting for you?”

While there are plenty more where these came from (which ones that we didn't mention can YOU think of?), we hope that these few metaphorical questions from the baseball diamond have given you some valuable food for thought and helped you to focus your attention on some of the things that really matter.

With spring training now over, it’s time to get down to business with your eyes on the prize of a championship season...as you set off in pursuit of your own Field of Dreams, wherever or whatever that may be.

Play ball!

As an entrepreneur who runs a management consulting firm and teaches a graduate course in “Leadership & Team Building” at NYU, most people assume that I have a degree in business.

But I don’t.

I was an English literature major.

And while I LOVE reading business books (and average one a week), the truth is that today’s businessperson cannot – and should not – live by business books alone.

With the word “novel” having the same Latin root, “nov” (meaning “new”) as the word “innovation,” it follows that reading more non-business writing may be not only an engaging and enjoyable escape, but a catalyst for new business ideas.

When my students ask me, “How can I become a better writer?” my response is always: Become a better reader.

And when I am in need of inspiration, I often find myself going back to my English major roots to revisit the classics. As the French novelist Marcel Proust famously said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” So every time I go to my bookshelf to grab some Shakespeare or poetry, or a play or a novel – even those (especially those) I have read before – I tend to find that these great works not only hold up over time, but take on new meaning, foster innovation, and provide fresh insights into the human condition. Insights that can be directly applied to the everyday world of business. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote that one “cannot set foot in the same river twice,” for both the river and the person are, forever, in flux. So it is with reading and re-reading the classics: Each time, a new adventure. Each time, a new voyage of discovery.

A few examples:

SHAKESPEARE: The story of “Julius Caesar” is as current, meaningful and impactful as in the time it was written (1599), as well as when it actually happened (44 BC). It explores the world of individuals, organizations, and teams -- as well as the themes of politics, public speaking, persuasion, and power. To see parallels to today, all one needs to do is open up the newspaper or turn on the tv. And how many times has your workplace turned into “A Comedy of Errors” in which you needed people to do things “As You Like It” so that “All’s Well That Ends Well”…only to find yourself working for a boss who always makes “Much Ado About Nothing,” and is as indecisive as Hamlet, as weak as Macbeth, as over-emotional as Othello, and/or as mad as King Lear. Turning everything into a “Tempest”…when what you really want and need is the inspirational leadership of Henry V.

PLAYS: Arthur Miller’s classic dramas “Death of a Salesman” and “All My Sons” each explore numerous, timeless business-related themes, from core values (e.g., truth and integrity) and work/life balance, to relationships, communication, motivation, influence, and human nature in general. In the devastating drama, “All My Sons,” factory owner Joe Keller must make a choice between shipping a batch of cracked airplane parts (hoping nothing will happen) or admitting the truth and taking responsibility, thereby risking the loss of his government contract. You can probably guess which option he chooses and what the tragic outcome is. While this was a work of fiction, the fact is we can see this type of tragic scandal play out in the business section of the newspaper everyday – from faulty airbags (Takata) and ignition switches (GM), to tainted food, and toxic water supplies (Flint, MI).

FICTION: In this age of crowdsourcing, mob mentalities, and social media flaming, might there be a cautionary tale for us to heed hidden within Shirley Jackson’s still-shocking, horrifying, and controversial 1948 short story, “The Lottery”? And who hasn’t wanted to say to his or her boss at one point or another, when asked to do something, “I would prefer not to,” as the title character famously does in Herman Melville’s classic short story, “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" (1853)? And having recently re-read five of my all-time favorite novels – 1984, Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and To Kill a Mockingbird – though times have changed, I found the themes and messages contained therein to be as relevant, thought-provoking, universal, and impactful as ever. And there is a powerful reason, from a leadership perspective, why Atticus Finch (the original To Kill a Mockingbird version, not the recently-published, unauthorized Go Set a Watchman version) is often held up as one of the greatest fictional heroes, role models, and real-life influences in the history of American literature (and film).

POETRY: Reading poetry by the likes of Keats, Shelley, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Cummings, Yeats, Eliot, and so many others reminds us of the importance of language when attempting to effectively communicate with others. Poetry demonstrates the power of visual imagery, alliteration and allusion, rhyme and rhythm, meter and metaphor, and more. For example, one of the hot topics out there in the business world right now is “mindfulness.” What better example of that is there than Wordsworth’s 1804 poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” (aka “The Daffodils”) in which he illustrates the concept of “emotion recollected in tranquility”! And when it comes to the subject of decision-making, is there a more well-known, thought-provoking, and impactful metaphor than Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”? And while we set off on the rat race each morning, striving to climb the corporate ladder (how’s that for a mixed metaphor?), it’s important to keep in mind our core values, maintain a sense of perspective, strive for work/life balance, and seek happiness, taking heed of the cautionary tale of E. A. Robinson’s “Richard Cory.”

Beyond entertainment, enjoyment, and escape, great literature transports us to another place and time, allowing us to experience the world through the eyes of others. It often brings us back to the basics, and reminds us of the universality of the human condition, making us more informed and literate, more educated and enlightened, more aware and self-aware, more empathetic, more humane, and more human. And, all together, this will (hopefully) make us both better business leaders and better people.

And while the focus of this post is on the business value of fiction, the same can be said of non-business, non-fiction books. Whether you enjoy reading about the arts, sports, science, politics, history, biography, travel, self-help, etc., if you are open to “seeing with new eyes,” you are guaranteed to discover valuable business and life lessons hidden in plain sight within anything you read. So if you are thinking about switching careers, looking for leadership lessons, or seeking out fresh new ideas and approaches, one of the best ways to stimulate innovation and open up the world of possibilities is to look outside of, and beyond, your usual field of vision.

And, in addition to books, business and life lessons of all kinds can, of course, be gleaned every day, both online and offline, from such diverse media as newspapers, magazines, e-newletters, blog posts, or even the back of a cereal box. There is so much out there to read and so little time; so much to learn, wherever we turn...if we are proactively looking for it and open to seeing it. As Simon & Garfunkel once sang, “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls…and tenement halls.”

If “Wisdom is where Knowledge and Experience Meet,” then when we enhance our knowledge through reading, and combine that with the real-world experiences of our everyday lives, we eventually attain the wisdom that only time can teach.  

So if one of your New Year’s resolutions was to start reading more – and even if your high school English lit days seem like a distant memory – it’s never too late to dig up and dust off one of your old novels or anthologies and read or re-read those timeless classics. It’s a great habit to get into, and one that you can continue to enjoy and benefit from for the rest of your life. Though we are all growing older with each passing day, it’s never too late to hit the pause button, turn back the clock, and rediscover the classics. 

As the Fool put it to King Lear: “Thou shouldst not have been old before thou hadst been wise.”

 *This piece appeared on the CBS Small Business Pulse website:

How To Keep The Competitive Hiring Culture In Your Favor

December 28, 2015

Click here for online version of article with accompanying video:

http://cbspulse.com/2015/12/28/how-competitive-hiring-culture-favor/

Todd Cherches is the CEO and co-founder of BigBlueGumball, a NYC-based training consulting firm that helps companies discover and develop the hidden talents within their organizations. He offers the following insights on a major issue that small businesses are currently facing.

There are numerous issues commonly faced by my small business clients, but one of the biggest issues right now is the war for talent as small businesses compete with bigger companies, and with each other, around talent acquisition, engagement, and retention.

With the job market picking up, employees have more opportunities available to them than they have had in years to decide where they want to take their talents. So companies need to work harder than ever to get people to stay…while also getting them to put their heart and soul into what they do. As one of the top reasons people quit their jobs is due to poor management and/or no leadership, leadership development and management training are more crucial than ever.

What do small businesses need to do to compete in this war for talent?

Just as a speedboat is more nimble than a battleship, small businesses can compete with larger organizations by leveraging their competitive advantages. While small businesses may not have the size, resources, and visibility of the big boys, they can and must be more creative and flexible in attracting, engaging and retaining talented people.

There are numerous ways of doing so including, but not limited to:

• Offering employees greater access to information and increased involvement in things that interest them
• Flexibility in terms of when, where and how they go about their work
• Being creative in implementing non-financial, low-cost reward and recognition programs
• Offering training and development, and personalized coaching and mentoring opportunities

This war is a battle amongst organizations of all types to acquire, engage, and retain the best people from a limited pool of top talent. The way we help in this regard -- through our consulting, training and coaching work -- is by encouraging and enabling our clients to create an environment that gets potential hires to want to work there, to motivate these employees to perform and to produce while they are there, and to support and develop them so that they want to stay there.

In his book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” Dan Pink states that people are motivated by three key non-financial incentives — Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. If small businesses empower their people to do their jobs in their own way [autonomy], in an environment that allows them to develop and grow [mastery], while doing work that truly matters [purpose], they will be taking positive steps towards setting their people, and their organizations, up for success.
 
As told to Robin D. Everson of Examiner.com for CBS Small Business Pulse.