Business Magazine | BABM | Values | Stepping Up to the Plate

When Bear Bryant coached at the University of Alabama, it was said that he could take his team and beat your team, then take your team and beat his. Bear Bryant was a leader. Abraham Lincoln, with courage born of divine conviction, forced healing on a nation that was determined to divide. Abraham Lincoln was a leader.

Both of these examples are reminiscent of the old proverb, "An army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep." Is this true? Is leadership that crucial to victory? And what is a leader anyway? A leader has certain characteristics that will allow that person to achieve success beyond the ordinary.

Will Clark was one of major league baseball’s perennial All Stars. The San Francisco Giants’ first baseman was certainly considered a leader by his teammates. As a rookie, in his first game, in his first time at bat, he was about to face Nolan Ryan, one of the premier fastball pitchers of all time. As he walked toward the plate, one of his teammates said to him, "Man, you’re facing Nolan Ryan!" And Will looked at him and said, "No, he's facing Will Clark!" In his first at bat, in his first major league baseball game, Will Clark took Nolan Ryan over the left field wall -- Homerun!

Will was once asked, "What is it that is different about you? Why is it that other players, with maybe as much talent, haven't accomplished as much in their careers as you have?" He said that it was attitude. It was an attitude of taking charge, an attitude of leadership. In fact, he said, "Other players, when the game is on the line, would sit on the bench and maybe...look at their shoes, or look out toward the scoreboard so that the coach wouldn't see their faces when he looked down the row. But I have always wanted to be a leader. And to me, a leader takes charge; a leader puts himself in the game. And so to me, if it is the 7th game of the World Series and it’s the bottom of the 9th and the bases are loaded and there are two outs and we are behind, I'll get up off the bench, I'll go down and get in the manager’s face and I'll say: Give me the bat, put me in the game, I'm ready to swing, give me the bat. Give me the bat!”

What are you doing right now to claim command of the bat in your life? Leaders put themselves on the line when the game counts most, which in sports, business, and life is every day. Leaders also put themselves in situations that followers simply won’t. A leader’s power always comes from his or her attitude.

Here are three practical and easy steps you can immediately take to begin cultivating an attitude of leadership:

1. Power Up Your Communication. Take responsibility for your results by taking responsibility for the language you use. Leaders understand and constructively apply the power of communication. You can start by taking command of the language you use to communicate to yourself. I know a man whose net worth is over one billion dollars. He starts his mornings by looking at himself in the mirror and proclaiming loudly: “I feel happy, healthy, and terrific!” Talk out loud to yourself. It works. You can proclaim things such as:

2. Power Up Your Associations

You may think, “I have nothing to offer that person. Why would they want to associate with me?” However, talk back to yourself and ask: “If I did have something to offer that person, what would it be?” Perhaps it is your time, service, intelligence or distinctions in a particular area. You have many resources, tangible and intangible.

3. Power Up Your Body Language. Assume the body language of leadership. Leaders communicate feelings of confidence especially through the use of their physiology: facial expressions, their walk, talk, and even stance. Leaders communicate boldness through their body language. You can do the same. Consider the following:

Becoming a leader does not happen instantly. It takes time, effort, energy, and steadfast determination. As you begin to change, the world around you will change as well. Breaking out of old, outdated habits isn’t always easy. Through conscious and persistent intention and action, you will get there. Notice the results you’re getting. If they aren’t working for you, do something different. Find what works. Discard what doesn’t.

On or off the field, Will Clark did not become a leader overnight. His development took years. Will Clark was a leader long before the evidence was visible to the rest of the world.

The simple little things you do and the choices you make today will determine who and what you will one day become. Choose to cultivate the habits and attitudes of leadership by articulating like a leader, forming powerful associations and assuming the body language of a leader. Put these three simple steps into motion daily, and before long you will be the one saying: “Give me the bat!”

About the Author
Hailed as a “modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America,” Andy Andrews is a best-selling novelist and in-demand speaker for some of the world’s largest organizations. The Traveler’s Gift, a featured book selection of ABC’s Good Morning America, has been translated into nearly twenty languages and was on the New York Times bestseller list for seventeen weeks. Andy has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents and toured military bases around the world at the request of the Department of Defense. Arguably, there is no single person on the planet better at weaving subtle, yet life-changing lessons into riveting tales of adventure and intrigue—both on paper and on stage.

Give Me The Bat Stepping Up to the Plate When It Counts the Most

Give Me The Bat
Stepping Up to the Plate When It Counts the Most