“We’re going to win the World Series, ” declared my coach, Gene Hanson.
It was the summer of 1982, and the room was filled with 18 13-year old baseball players (myself included) selected for that summer’s Little League all-star team, and our families.
After a very uncomfortable exchange of blank stares, a murmur of laughter – mostly from the players – erupted and filled the room.
Not out of disrespect. Rather, sheer disbelief.
Everyone, including my coach, knew that no team from our Chicago suburb of Libertyville had ever made it past the State Tournament.
In fact, only one team had ever MADE IT to the State Tournament.
But this is what great leaders do.
They have big ideas. Clearly stated. For all the world to see and hear. Knowing all too well that it will be hard – if not entirely scary – for many to imagine.
And before we could write off Coach Hanson as a complete lunatic, there was more.
He had a plan.
He had a plan, through a rigid practice routine, for how we were going to gain the discipline, skills and endurance necessary to win five consecutive, double-elimination tournaments to win the World Series that summer.
- Relentless conditioning.
- Superior pitching.
- Flawless defense.
We’d need to win one tournament at a time.
- The District.
- The Section.
- The State.
- The Midwest Region.
- The World Series.
At best we’d go 15 – 0. At worst, we’d go 20 – 5.
Either way, we will win the World Series, he assured us.
This, too, is what great leaders do.
They bring their vision to the ground. They make it real.
Sure enough, we went on to win our District, Sectional, State and Midwest Regional. And we finished second at the World Series.
(We’d lose in the Championship game to the tournament favorites from Tampa, Florida, being 1-hit by their star player, Gary Sheffield. Yes, that Gary Sheffield!)
In sports and in business, this is how great leaders inspire action.
And this is how visionaries of entrepreneurial companies running on EOS operate.
- They paint a picture for what the path to their vision is going to look like, so everyone else can see what they’re seeing (in their mind’s eye).
- They have the right people in the right seats, doing the most important things the right and best way every time.
- They drive accountability throughout their team, so everyone in every position is executing on their vision.
- They squash self-limiting beliefs to achieve goals beyond their own imaginations.
- And they communicate their vision. Repeatedly!
Companies who run on EOS learn to be great at three things:
- Vision – everyone is 100% on the same page with where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.
- Traction – everyone is executing on that vision with discipline and real accountability.
- Healthy – they’re open, honest, vulnerable and cohesive, and they make decisions for the greater good of the organization (ahead of themselves).
It’s why entrepreneurs who run their businesses on EOS run a great business and live a great life.