Joe Torre on management
September 14, 2006
I was sent this article written by Joe Torre, the manager of the New York Yankees, that was recently published in BusinessWeek. Now, regardless of what you think of the team, you have to admire Joe. Just being able to remain the manager of the Yankees for this long while working for George Steinbrenner has to give you some insight into the man’s pluck.
The truth is that he’s a very insightful guy with real heart (somehow in my mind, I always envision him crying after winning something), and in the article he shares some of his thoughts on managing talent. In part, he talks about how he uses one of the team’s worst moments (letting the Red Sox take the momentum, and the world series, away in 2004) to motivate his people to always be ready. But he contrasts that motivational technique with a keen understanding of the fine balance between emotionality and competitiveness. A quote:
These days it is so important for a CEO, or any manager, whoever it is, to be aware of his or her personnel. We are in an age of computers, and everything is so damn impersonal. But in the end, it still comes down to people. You have to make people feel necessary. Even if their contributions are minor, it adds to everything else. That’s what makes the machine work. I love players with heart, not necessarily emotion, but those who deep down are driven by something more than mind and body. I don’t play favorites. The 25th member of the squad is just as important as the first guy. And I can’t let my own emotions get in the way of competing. I have had to release guys I loved, and keep players I didn’t necessarily care for.
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With all due respect to Joe Torre (he IS great) and the Yankees (ugh), Billy Beane and the A’s have brought talent management to the forefront in baseball by looking beyond obvious player stats to things that we call “hidden strengths.†A prime example is Chad Bradford, whose pitching stats were average, but his “submariner†delivery completely threw off hitters’ timing. Scott Hatteberg sustained an injury that ended his career as a catcher, but he’s a great hitter, so the A’s picked him up and put him at first base where he really fumbled at first but learned the position and was very successful after a few short months. Both players’ careers were over, but now they’re playing very well with other teams who value the skills that were exposed by the A’s.
Something else Beane looks at is a player’s heart and mind. No matter how great they are athletically, they are no good if their hearts and minds are not fully wrapped around winning the game—he learned this and many lessons through his own failures in the big leagues. The guy searches beyond the obvious and measurable to put together winning teams of others’ leftovers and “has-beens†at a fraction of the price.
Oh, and GO A’S, down with the Yanks!!!
This message is for Joe Torre {Yankees manager), i read somewhere that he drinks Green Tea during games - about ten cups. I just want to let him know that there is a Green Tea concentrate available called (Green Tea Plus Magic Fruit). It comes in a eye dropper type bottle and is conveinent to carry around especially in the dugout, 1 serving of this stuff is equivalent to 5 cups of regular green tea. I’ve been using it for about 2 years and i think it’s great not to mention i never get sick anymore either while taking it, plus it tastes good to. Hope that my information was useful Joe because i want to see you don that Yankee uniform for years to come and make sure your healthy to do so. Continued health and success to you Joe and good luck the rest of 2006 ! - Joseph Michael Branca.
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