Take A Risk, Hit A Home Run

David Freese hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning last night to give the Cardinals the victory in game 6 of the World Series. Earlier in the game he had dropped a pop fly that most Little Leaguers would have easily caught. There is a lesson here for us. David Freese knows that he will fail often during a season. He knows that there is a good chance he will fail often even during a single game. He knows that the top hitters in baseball fail 2/3 of the time, yet they still go to the plate and take their swings. They still take the field, even though they openly acknowledge there is a great risk of failure. Fear of failure is not an option for a professional baseball player. When he begins to fear failure, his career is probably over.
What if we approached our jobs the same way? What if we were not afraid to take a chance? What if our manager continued to put us in the game, even after we had failed once? Or twice? Or three times? What would happen? Would we see more innovative ideas? Would we see a work force that was more comfortable with adversity? Would we see more people learning from their experiences and gaining confidence that they can persevere and even win? I think so!
Does that mean we don't try to manage the risks? Of course not! Baseball teams manage their risks very well. They practice and practice and practice before they take the field. There are six weeks of training before the season. The players take batting practice, fielding practice, and practice throwing EVERY DAY before the game. They scout the other team to know what to expect and prepare accordingly. They put together a game plan, but know it will likely change during the game. The manager watches each player carefully and puts them into the right situations to give them the greatest chance of success. All of that is to manage the risks.
We will never hit the game-winning home run sitting on the bench. We have to prepare to win, practice often, and take risks if we are going to win. Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." If we are going to win, each of us needs to get off the bench and take our best shot!