In the summer of 1998, I was suddenly thrust into the role of managing a little league team consisting of kids ages 9 & 10. If I hadn’t accepted the job, my son’s team would have been broken up. I said yes.
As we began with the season, I held a meeting with the parents. I said, “I don’t know much about baseball, but the assistant coaches that surround me do. I do know a little about leadership. Some say that it is not whether you win or lose, you just need to have fun. Others say winning is everything. I’ve got some good news for you…we are going to have fun and we are going to win!”
As I began my coaching, I kept clearly in mind the “secret sauce” that makes a winning team: Building Structural Tension. Structural tension means that each team member is driven by supporting their fellow team member, not the boss. That means that team members encourage one another and don’t put each other down. It also means that they trust and respect each other enough to hold each other accountable. If someone in the outfield is daydreaming, it is fair game to say, “He Steve. Wake up.”
In 2016 the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. They had structural tension. Recently, Athletic magazine wrote an article about David Ross, the Cubs back-up catcher that year. He was a seasoned pro enjoying his final year in the Majors. He would strongly encourage his teammates, and he also would comment when they were falling in to bad habits. They loved him! He knew that top-performing teams have a pact to keep each other on task.
Now back to my little league baseball team: We finished the season 15-3!
