As soon as I read this I realized how this applies to far more than just baseball. For those of you who don’t know, Jericho Scott (pictured left) was told he was too good for his little league team and was therefore not allowed to play. You can read more on it at ESPN, MLB, Deadspin and many others.
The best people in big companies often run into situations similar to this. They come in with new ideas, ways to make the company operate leaner, take advantage of new and exciting trends in technology or media, along with other outside the company “box” ideas. And then they get slammed into the corporate grinder - bosses feel threatened by new ideas that aren’t theres and rather then join the team and build on the idea and it’s potential they choose not to play, much like Jericho’s peers in little league. They pack up and forfeit muttering excuses at the water cooler.
There should never be a case of someone being too good. Perfection is a goal we should all strive to achieve. And rather then become embarrassed and disappointed about someone being so good - raise your own personal bar and use it as motivation to better yourself, your department, your team and your company. Competition breeds excellence and collaboration breeds innovation.
When you have the right people (remember, Who First?) and the right amount of the above you can create incredible results! Don’t encourage mediocrity - everyone should strive to be the best they can be. Use the talents of some to complement and leverage the talents and ideas of other. A competitive team atmosphere is certainly a way to spur success.
Have you, or someone you known, ever been stuck in Jericho’s situation in their company?
