"THE PREPARED (NOT the Giants) WIN THE PENNANT"

The classic call "The Giants WIN THE PENNANT, the GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT" rang through my head with glee last night as I watched my beloved San Francisco Giants win the National League Pennant for the fifth time, the third in the last five years.  

The man who made the call famous was Russ Hodges, who called games for the Giants many years ago.  On October 3, 1951, Hodges was on the microphone for Bobby Thomson's famous Shot Heard 'Round the World. It was Hodges who cried, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

I couldn't help but think about HOW the Giants won the pennant...and I reflected back to the night prior when I listened to the interviews in the Kansas City Royals clubhouse after they had won their pennant, the American League Championship.  Everyone to a man said the same thing about how their coaching staff and teammates were incredibly organized when it came to preparation.  And the same themes rang out last night as I listened to how the Giants talked about their win and their Manager, Bruce Bochy.  The Giants claim that their Manager is incredibly prepared and they themselves come to the park with a seriousness that reflects their skipper's leadership.

Moving back to the boardroom, wouldn't it be great if we put more of a premium on "inputs" like preparedness?  I use the word "inputs" to denote behaviors and activities that are the necessary steps which lead to results. However, described, the concept is the same: business today does not stress the nuances and things that go into getting desired results...but it doesn't have to be that way.

In a shameless plug for Core 6 services, I am proud to say that these are the types of things I stress when working with my clients.  I've even devised a process called Performance Achievement Method which includes a set of criteria against which manager and individual contributor collaborate against to understand how performance should be measured on various "inputs".  Included are items like preparing for sales calls, ability to manage internal communications and obstacles, proficiency at sitting quietly and thinking strategically about account problems and challenges.  THESE are the behaviors successful sales executives excel at...despite massive pressures to drive revenue, drive revenue, drive revenue.  (YES, driving revenue is the ultimate goal, but the PATH to that goal must be considered and planned carefully.)

Do you think Bruce Bochy says anything like this to his players, "hit a home run, hit a home run, hit a home run"??

Of course not.

Let's slow down.  Let's be more prepared.  Let's tend to the little things.  And then we'll watch the good things happen as a result.

Go Giants!  Go Preparedness!

http://mlb.mlb.com/photos/gallery.jsp?content_id=98794924&c_id=mlb&imgId=5