The stunning, come-from-behind victory of the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series made me wonder if there might be some business lessons to be learned there.\u00a0 Sure, it\u2019s a sports franchise, but major league baseball teams are businesses too. Yet we tend to experience them as entertainment, not as business models to be studied.\u00a0 So let\u2019s take a look, not as baseball fans, but as business people trying to see what we can learn from this epic achievement.\u00a0 Interested in learning what the Cubs might have to teach us?\u00a0 Please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
What kind of clubhouse are you running?<\/strong><\/p>\n Professional baseball teams typically refer to themselves as a \u201cball club\u201d and their locker room is their \u201cclubhouse.\u201d\u00a0 However, you hear the ball players refer to their \u201cclubhouse\u201d in ways that defy a physical location alone.\u00a0 For instance, you may hear them say their clubhouse \u201chas a winning attitude.\u201d\u00a0 Last time I checked, bricks and mortar don\u2019t have an attitude about anything.\u00a0 Or when they say they have a \u201cvery close\u201d clubhouse, I don\u2019t think they mean their clubhouse is small or nearby.\u00a0 I would argue that while \u201cclubhouse\u201d does refer to a physical place, when players assign human attributes to it, it\u2019s also a metaphor for the team\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n It has taken GM Theo Epstein (with recent help from field boss Joe Maddon) five years to convert the Cubs\u2019 clubhouse from perennial \u201clovable losers\u201d to world champions.\u00a0 Changing an organization\u2019s culture is tough, and it takes time, but ultimately, the payoff can be huge, as it has been for the Cubs.\u00a0 There\u2019s no question, the Cubs have managed to assemble some real talent, but even extraordinary talent cannot perform to its potential without the support of the team\u2019s culture.\u00a0 So let\u2019s look at some of the cultural hallmarks of the 2016 Cubs. \u00a0Of course, I don\u2019t have any internal documents from the Cubs that define their culture in black and white, but I think we can draw some educated conclusions just by paying attention to what they do.\u00a0 As Yogi Berra once reminded us, \u201cYou can observe a lot by just watching.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are the lessons I believe we can learn from the way Epstein and Maddon have shaped their clubhouse.<\/p>\n 1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s apparent that the 2016 Cubs not only trust and respect one another, they genuinely like one another.\u00a0 They enjoy being together and working together.\u00a0 That can be a rare thing among rich, prima donna athletes.\u00a0 Epstein and Maddon have apparently done a good job at being faithful gatekeepers and keeping toxic influences out of the clubhouse.<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They are committed to winning.\u00a0 They don\u2019t play a cautious game aimed at not losing, and they don\u2019t just hope to win . . . when they set foot on the field, they\u00a0expect<\/u><\/em>\u00a0to win.\u00a0 And even when they fail to win, they don\u2019t let that shake their expectations for the next game.\u00a0 Even though they were behind 3 games to 1 in the World Series, they still expected to win . . . and did.<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They are very unselfish players.\u00a0 They put the performance of the team above their own personal performance.\u00a0 If they have to take a new spot in the batting order or play a different position than the one they usually play, so be it if it gives the team a better chance to win.<\/p>\n 4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They spread the glory around as much as possible.\u00a0 When a player is having a particularly good game, he will often point out the stellar performance of others and acknowledge that he can\u2019t play at the top of his game unless everyone else is doing likewise.<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They are proud of the organization they work for and believe they are part of something bigger than themselves . . . something that can help them achieve things that would have been impossible to achieve individually . . . significant things, things that matter.<\/p>\n So what kind of clubhouse are you running?\u00a0 Do your \u201cplayers\u201d trust and respect one another, and do they enjoy working together as a cohesive unit?\u00a0 Have you done a good job of keeping talented misfits out of your clubhouse?\u00a0 Do your players play to win, or do they simply play not to lose?\u00a0 Are they willing to make sacrifices for the greater good of the company?\u00a0 Do your star players recognize the support they get from everyone else?\u00a0 As coaching great John Wooden once said, \u201cThe main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n And do your players believe what you do, how you do it, and\/or who you do it for is important?\u00a0 More to the point, do they believe their role is important in what you do?\u00a0 Do they believe their role matters to the final outcome?<\/p>\n Some of you are going to say, \u201cC\u2019mon, the Cubs play on a big stage with a national following.\u00a0 How can a small, privately held company do what they do?\u201d\u00a0 And you\u2019re right.\u00a0 For most small businesses, gaining national acclaim is probably not a realistic goal.\u00a0 But that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t build a winning team the way the Cubs have.\u00a0 You just have to do it on a smaller scale.\u00a0 Be the employer of choice,\u00a0the<\/u><\/em>\u00a0best place to work in your community.\u00a0 Find the niche in your industry where you can really shine.\u00a0 Be the outfit in your trade association that shows everyone else how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n You may not be able to play in Wrigley Field, but if you want to run a Cubs-like clubhouse, you can build a world-class team on the field of your choosing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The stunning, come-from-behind victory of the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series made me wonder if there might be some business lessons to be learned there.\u00a0 Sure, it\u2019s a sports franchise, but major league baseball teams are businesses too. Yet we tend to experience them as entertainment, not as business models to be studied.\u00a0<\/p>\n