By Roger Ingles
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson
Sports and business are similar in many ways. In fact, many terms from sports are used every day to describe events in organizations around the world. Team members are “pitching” a proposal to a client, or a team member might have “dropped the ball” on a deal. Developing a strategy or “game plan” is important. I learned many of these lessons at an early age from the sport of baseball and in particular from reading and learning about Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson.
I grew up at an early age on a farm in Big Plains, Ohio. My family moved to Delaware, Ohio when I was in fifth grade where I attended Olentangy Local Schools and developed a genuine love for the game of baseball. I was able to experience the game of baseball through little league, high school and college baseball and later a career in coaching at the high school and college levels and coach and later Commissioner of a highly prestigious collegiate wooden bat baseball league, the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. I served as athletic director for two NCAA division III institutions and all of my leadership success in life are derived from my time on a baseball field.
Working at Ohio Wesleyan University I became friends with Branch Rickey III, the grandson of the great Branch Rickey and former President of the Pacific Coast League. Branch Rickey was named the most influential sports figure of the 20th century by ESPN baseball. While many baseball players and owners were only focused on breaking records, Branch was focused on breaking barriers. Through a partnership with Jackie Robinson, a college educated grandson of a slave and son of a sharecropper, they did just that. Breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jackie Robinson was a phenomenal athlete. But Rickey knew he needed a “special” partner to accomplish his goal of integrating baseball. The individual he sought out had to be a natural leader who could balance his professional and personal lives and the upcoming challenges. The results of the Robinson/Rickey partnership can teach us all lessons in our everyday personal and professional life.
Racisms today is still prevalent but in 1947 it was even worse. The only way Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey could succeed was to focus on achieving positive results. Many of Jackie’s teammates eventually accepted him reluctantly even though some personally were secretly pulling for him to fail. They accepted him because he provided positive results which helped the team win. Jackie was an MVP for six straight years and led the Dodgers to six World Series. His success as a person and a player helped him become accepted in the organization.
Jackie taught us another lesson and that was to accept challenges while taking chances. He faced challenges that most of today could never imagine. Death threats, being spit on, cursed at, thrown at and racism still could not deter him. Eventually his courage to accept the challenge of being the first African American in MLB encouraged both his own teammates and those players on other teams to stand up for him.
Jackie was smart enough to know that his wife Rachel would be a much-needed ally to help him balance work and life. The ability to get away from the game helped improve Jackie’s productivity on the field. As someone who worked long hours for most of my career, I know the value of finding balance between your work and family life. Jackie accepted a challenge that few could have accomplished. But as Reggie Jackson once said, “You cannot steal second base and keep your foot on first.”
Jackie Robinson knew that season in 1947 was bigger than him. He entered the partnership with Branch Rickey with each man confident of success and not afraid of failure. He had to listen and not speak up until he earned his place in major league baseball. His leadership was based on the premise in that first year not from what he said but from he did. His actions and his words demonstrated to all that he entered that season with not just the goal of Jackie Robinson playing baseball for the Dodgers, but with hope that his success would lead to guys like Larry Doby, Hank Thompson, Roy Campanella, Satchell Paige, Minnie Minosa, Don Newcombe and Monte Irvin following over the next two seasons.
Jackie Robinson remains today a beacon of light for those who face challenges in their lives every day. But the lessons Jackie taught us about focusing on results, accepting challenges with an open heart, setting end goals and maintaining balance in your life are as real today as they were in 1947. He was not afraid to step out and take a risk. Throughout his career he became the type of leader he himself would want to follow.
As a leader Jackie taught us many lessons, he thought big and acted big. Sometimes lofty goals need to be adjusted and he knew when it was time to choke up and put the ball in play. He was never afraid of getting his uniform dirty. Leading by example with no fear of getting into the weeds and showing everyone that no job is too big or too little for a great leader to help with.
Jackie used data and analysis of pitcher’s and hitter’s tendencies to help him be better prepared. Data helps great leaders make smarter and more informed decisions. Robinson knew that while baseball has individual stars, the team is only as good as the whole. From top to bottom your organization must all perform to be successful. Real superstars help others become better team members.
Branch Rickey was given every reason not to sign to Jackie Robinson. He could have easily waited and let someone else lead the way. Eventually it would have happened but maybe not for another decade or two. Great leaders have strong convictions however and Branch thanks to an experience he had at Ohio Wesleyan as a student coach with his catcher Charles Thomas stayed true to his. He made sure he did not go down looking on Jackie.
Jackie and Branch were focused but ready to adapt as needed. The only constant in our world is change. Strong leaders are responsive and adaptable and focused on making sure their organizations are prepared for the unexpected. Branch and Jackie are forever linked together for their ability to handle everything they faced in 1947.
However, what most people fail to understand was this was not a one-year thing for them. Outstanding leaders are focused on a long term three-to-five-year plan. Short term plans are important but only as to how it helps you realize your long-term strategic goals and plans. Branch wanted to fully integrate major league baseball and open opportunities for other outstanding black players to join major league baseball.
Branch knew that as major league baseball brought in more African American players, team chemistry would be important. The saying goes that culture eats strategy for breakfast. As you build your teams and organizations, whether it be in sports or business, understand as Branch and Jackie did in 1947, any vision or strategy is only as good as the long-term planning, chemistry and belief within the organization.
Executive Management Partners LLC 