Many of you know I love baseball, especially the Philadelphia Phillies. For my fellow fans, the quote “This ball is outta here!!!” holds special meaning. It was frequently shouted by the spirited Harry Kalas, the Phillies’ beloved announcer from 1971 to 2009. Like in baseball, there’s nothing like hitting a home run in your business. But it takes a team – no solitary player can win the game!

Leading your team to success.

In baseball, the team’s manager doesn’t let anyone flounder. If the pitcher isn’t doing well, the manager calls in relief. In your organization, maybe you’ve seen similar situations – perhaps an employee needs more training, has too much on their plate or just isn’t the right person for a particular task. In other words, they need a relief player to step in!

Employees rely upon teammates to succeed. Often on the field, more than one player is involved in getting a runner out, which is called an assist. Even someone who completes their job in a relatively solitary manner can’t do it unless they have an assist – others providing them the information and tools they need in an organized, timely manner.

Think of the catcher on a professional baseball team. It’s his job to know each of the opposing team’s batters, including their strengths and weaknesses. He lets the pitcher know what type of pitch to throw – fast, curve, sinker or even a ball outside. If he isn’t providing the pitcher with good information, the pitcher can’t possibly be as effective.

In your organization, individual employees may not be able to tackle an entire project. However, as a team, employees are able to complete projects successfully and on time. Your people have to work together to achieve the overall mission of the company. Do you have an accountant that completes your tax returns each year? Do you have a development specialist for your website, and a marketing strategist guiding your overall marketing and advertising plans? Do you have people who know how to run your daily operations, shipping, receiving, billing and more?

Analysis and training, big league style.

In spring training, the players stretched, perfected techniques, held batting practice and studied the game – and the competition – inside and out. Now that spring training is complete and opening day celebrations have passed, baseball has a fresh start and teams are being tested.

Do you have a scheduled time, a proverbial “spring training”, when you analyze what’s going on in your organization and really look at each of the players and how they perform? Do you give them additional training where they need it most? Do you review the processes they’re using to see if they’re still relevant, or are your players still doing the same things year in and year out without question? The teams you’re playing against – your competition – are likely looking at ways to get better all the time. To stay competitive in the game, you must be, too.

Running the bases, together.

At Price Turner CFOs, we’ve helped multiple clients to hit home runs with their processes, ultimately reducing expenses and increasing revenues. Let us join your team so the next time your business gets up to bat, we can all stand up and cheer,

“This ball is outta here!!!”