The local minor league baseball team is doing well. The Dayton Dragons play in the old Midwest League, which is now called High A Midwest, or something like that. For those that aren’t aware, the Dragons are an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and every game the team plays is sold out. The team plays in a nice ballpark, nicely tucked downtown and the atmosphere is great for young and old alike. And to their credit, the Dragons to a great job of keeping their fans entertained and engaged in between innings. The end result is that fans go home happy, no matter the final score.
Loosely translated, that means the fans aren’t so interested in wins and losses, but just having a good time. Funny enough, I bet that is the same thought that runs through the minds of the coaching staff of a minor league baseball team.
Minor league managers aren’t hired for their winning percentage; they are hired on their ability to take talent and move it up the system. If you have a great High A player this year in Dayton, the manager and the entire player development system of the big league club would love to see that kid play at AAA by the time Labor Day rolls around and have a chance to make the big league roster next Spring in Arizona.
Now, you don’t want to rush the next Rookie of the Year to the big leagues too quickly. They still need experience in those minor league games so that when the bright lights of the big ball park turn on, they are primed and ready to perform.
Just like us.
One of the toughest aspects of this job that I had to learn is that there are multiple ways to know things. And unfortunately, that is an idea that we don’t think about a lot, often to our own detriment.
We live in a fact-based world. For the last few centuries, humankind has discovered amazing facts and ideas through science and we have collected these nuggets of wisdom which we have based our collective knowledge. We created books and encyclopedias, created academies and schools, largely on the dissemination of these facts and theories.
And our fact-based approach to existence is more than just an academic exercise. As our society navigated the pandemic, we relied on science and facts to navigate our collective approach. In the nonprofit world, how many times have funders wanted an “evidence based approach” to our work?
But, we don’t thrive on facts alone.
Think about that star baseball player. He didn’t get that way by simply reading every book on baseball and solely learning the game through facts. He didn’t just pick up an instruction book and learn how to throw a 95 mile-per-hour fastball.
He saw baseball in action, he watched games. He picked up a glove and a ball himself and played the game. He probably wasn’t great at first, but he got better.
He didn’t learn by facts, he learned by doing.
And that is where many of my nonprofit colleagues find themselves. They find themselves paralyzed into states of inaction, they often feel that they don’t feel “smart enough” to move forward or go ahead in their work. My blunt advice is that smarts can only get you so far; you have to learn to act, you have to be willing to participate.
And yes, every act you participate in, is not going to go well. So what? It never does for anyone. But, putting forward your best effort and working diligently towards your goal will teach you lessons that facts never can.
The smart ones know, the great ones do. Make it happen!
I have had my say, what is yours?
Feel free to leave a comment and share this with friends and colleagues. At the very least, “hit that heart” below! It would be much appreciated!
Stay Well,
Bill