There are a lot of life lessons that may be found in the game of baseball. To name a few, four bases on the baseball infield are referred to as the Diamond. While working within these bases, each player / team member should strive to shine.
Bases Loaded
Bases Loaded means everyone is on base and should all be focused on doing their best, working toward a home run with every play.
A Pitch Runner runs the bases.
The batter knows his strengths as does the runner. Sometimes the person who hits the ball may need to have another player run for them. We should identify the strengths of each team member and allow them to use their strengths toward building a stronger team.
When speaking for conferences and training professionals, I have created a team of “Contagious Characters” where attendees actually bring their characteristics to life. One example is “Shirley Knott” ~ because she is SURELY NOT going to add a task to her day that isn’t already on her job description. Will she ever hit a home run for the team? I don’t think so!
As Director of Events, my daughter coordinated a Business Networking Event at our local baseball field. The baseball team was playing an away game therefore the field would be empty. She decided in order to get everyone involved and for them to get to know each other better, she would organize a kickball game.
Now that’s an entirely different set of rules! I witnessed as CEO’s, healthcare providers, bankers, business owners and coworkers joined together to form a team. They immediately began cheering for each other when it was their time to kick, their time to run and as they rounded back toward home base.
Even when we heard the words….“and you’re OUT!” we still witnessed team members exchanging high fives along with smiles while each seemed even more determined to win while continuing the fun.
Wouldn’t it just be terrific if we began each day in the workplace as if the bases were loaded on The Diamond and we were all encouraging each member to do their very best throughout the day? Well, we CAN….the ball is in YOUR COURT! So let’s PLAY BALL!
To encourage and cheer cost nothing. Whether you are the batter, the runner, the kicker, the coach or a cheerleader…..high fives will encourage the entire team. Excitement is very contagious in life, may we all strive to hit a home run!
~ Denise Price Thomas ~ photo is of me and my baseball glove from 1965 (but my boyfriend’s names have all been covered)