Are you ready for Spring Training?

The skies are gray, the temperature is cold and the snow blows across the yard.  I look outside and I think that winter will never end.  Just when I think I cannot take another moment, a vision appears and I see  men in uniforms, standing on green grass, throwing a ball back and forth in the warm air and sunny skies either in Florida or Arizona.  This vision assures me that spring training will be just around the corner.  Life is good and I can make it through another winter day.

Spring training occurs each year in baseball for a number of reasons.  The first is to signal the beginning of another season and other reasons include the following:

• a chance for players to loosen up and prepare for another year
• a chance for new players to try and break into the lineup of a team at the highest level
• an opportunity to mix both old and new talent to see if the new team can exceed the results of the previous year’s team

Business also has occurrences that resemble Spring Training.  Some of these instances include:

• building the leadership team for a new organization
• re-building the leadership team for an existing organization
• inserting a replacement or additional player into an existing leadership team

There are certainly other circumstances where organizations go through Spring Training, that time when we assess where we are and plan for the short term and long term progress of the company.

Optimism springs eternal in baseball spring training and it also rules the day when an organization is being built or rebuilt.  Those of us who are hopeful see the opportunity that each player brings and we also see the ways that certain players work together to make their partnership exceed the individual contribution of either. (some people call this synergy)

Is your organization engaged in spring training now or are you considering this kind of approach anytime soon?  I am constantly amazed how often I hear business leaders talk about their need for leadership transition as current leaders “age out” and they scramble to figure out who their farm system has produced, and this is usually a futile exercise.

Think about how the spring training approach might make a difference for your team.  Who will return this season and what are you doing to produce your next ace for the future leadership of your firm?

This kind of discussion really gains my attention and I enjoy talking with business leaders who either prepare well for spring training or also those who are looking for assistance as they assess their team’s strengths and weaknesses.

What do you think of when you hear about Spring Training?