5 Steps to Turning Around Your Business
You don't have to like baseball to enjoy Moneyball.
While the film, based on the bestselling book by Michael Lewis, centers on the story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland As, its theme is change, or more specifically challenging the status quo.
Watching how Beane seeks to effect change provides an outline for any executive who wants to transform his or her organization and for that reason it is worth exploring what Beane did.
Embrace the new. As the executive of a "have not" team with one of the lowest payrolls in major league baseball, the A's need to do something different. Rather than relying on a century's worth of tried and true methods of player evaluation, Beane tries sabremetrics, a form of statistical analysis pioneered by Bill James that seeks to measure a player's value in terms of output.
Prepare for resistance. Professional baseball has been played for more than 150 years and its traditions define it. The team's manager and its scouts think Beane has gone off the deep end. Managers must understand that employees may not like change and those who can resist will do so.
Find your champion. Beane's assistant general manager, Paul DePodesta, is the statistical guru whom Beane relies upon for determining player value. Yet Beane is too savvy an executive to rely upon solely upon stats; he identifies a veteran player to act as its on field leader. No leader can do it alone; he must find others to carry the standard with him.
Shake the trees. Not all goes well at first. The newly formed team loses more than it wins finding itself in last place. Beane dumps some of his newly hired players in favor of those he thinks will complement his plan. Few organizations can afford to keep employees on the payroll who do not believe in the program. In other words, managers must break eggs to create an omelet.
Let the wins do the talking. Eventually the team jells and embarks on a winning streak. This is validation that Beane's plan is working. It gives the team the spark it needs to play to its potential. Plans look good on paper; the proof they work lies in execution and intended results.
Billy Beane had two other pluses that enabled him to effect change. One, he had the buy-in of his boss, the owner Steve Schott who gave Beane the latitude he needed to push his ideas. His only constraint was he had to do it on the cheap. Two, Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is a charming guy. As an ex-player himself, he has the bona fides to connect with managers and players alike.
What this means for managers pushing for change is that business case is just that - business. You need to connect with others on a personal level to make them feel involved in the process and that you value their contributions.
Note: Beane's push for change has yet to produce a championship for the A's but his methodology has influenced the game. The Boston Red Sox adopted sabremetrics and won two World Series titles and today every team has an in-house numbers cruncher whose data contributes to the player evaluation process.
Related:
How NOT to Fire a Worker: Lessons from the Carol Bartz Sacking
Get Involved without Being a Micromanager: 3 Tips
Leading Your Peers: How to Do It Right
image courtesy of publisher, Norton