Trying hard and caring a lot matter...

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” Ted Williams

 

Ted Williams was, and still is, the best baseball player that ever was. And still he hit only 3 out of every 10 times he tried. A few seasons he hit 406 – meaning, he got a hit 4 out of every 10 times he came to the plate. Think about that as you set standards for your employees and again when you prepare to evaluate their performance. People idolized Williams because he always tried, was constantly willing to learn if there were ways to improve, and never got down about not being better. That’s how we should view what our employees do. How much credit do you give them for trying? Are you good at coaching them to find ways to be better? How often do you recognize them for having a good attitude? I think performance evaluations are disliked by most employees because the standards are often too high, and the focus is too often on what they failed to achieve. We should all try to be more like Williams’ coaches – they recognized his abilities and encouraged him to find as many ways as possible to use them effectively; and they applauded what he did rather than dwell on what he didn’t. And that, in large part, inspired him to be the best. The workplace, like baseball, should be a place where a person can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.  Think about that as you’re evaluating your employees today. 

 

Theodore Samuel “Ted” Williams (1918 – 2002): American professional baseball player and manager: he  was a nineteen-time All-Star and finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage, the highest of all time.