Overhaul a Culture of Losing

Recently, an interview with Buck Showalter, Manager of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team was shown on the television.  It caught my attention because the Orioles have had many losing seasons and there is renewed hope that Buck Showalter will be able to continue to turn things around for Baltimore.  The last time the Orioles made it to the playoffs was in 1997.  It was interesting that Buck doesn’t claim to be a “miracle worker.”  He said he “respects challenges” that the organization faces and knows that he has to lead and “overhaul an entire culture of losing.”  Many leaders are facing a similar situation because of the economic downturn and difficult challenges that have plagued many organizations.  A lot of leaders may find themselves in a situation where they too need to overhauls the culture of a team or organization because of the downturn and impact on morale.  Economic conditions have certainly taken a toll on my own organization and even with some positive signals it still seems that there is work to be done to reinvigorate people and get people recommitted to our vision and mission.  To do this, it starts with consistent leadership.  Buck said he’s just trying to get his young team members to think about the individual “piece they can contribute to the team everyday” that the team can “count on.”  It is obvious that he believes in his players and what they can do.  Buck Showatler’s leadership will certainly be in the forefront of my mind as I think of the challenges that we must respectfully face and finds ways to enroll my team members in positioning our organization for long terms sustained success.