A while back I wrote a blog about the similarities of a little league baseball team and how we conduct meetings. In that blog I talked about meeting effectiveness and preparedness. A similar story can be told about projects…
One of my favorite kids on my team loves to be involved. In fact, too much so. No matter where he is or what the situation, he will call for the ball. If he is in left field, with nobody on base, he will call for the ball as soon as someone picks it up. While at this age it invokes a smile from most (except the kid who responds, only to be embarrassed they made the wrong play). It is impossible not to love the kid, he is always smiling and truly loves playing baseball.
This also is not unlike how we choose projects/initiatives, or who leads them. We typically choose the most spirited person in the room, people we like, or people who will do what is in our personal best interest.
- How often do we choose the best person for the role?
- What happens to the dissenting opinion?
- What happens to the person with the dissenting opinion?
- How often do your projects provide concrete value within a desired timeframe?
- Do you put differing opinions on the team specifically to see what happens?
- How often do you throw a ball to left field because someone yelled for you?
PureStone Partners LLC 
Greaaat post, given what I’m going through on my current project. One of the team members is totally out of control, literally in left field, calling for the ball. Unfortunately, he can’t hit, throw, pitch, field, or even cheer for the rest of the team, which is an important role even on a little league team.