Does My Little League Team Email Apply to Business?

Playing competitive sports is one of the best developmental activities a child can have.

Having played competitive sports from a very young age to adulthood, I've seen firsthand the impact it's made in my life. I would not be the same person if I didn't play team sports.

It taught me how to be a team player, how to inspire, and how to lead.

I learned the importance of mindset, positive attitude, and confidence.

It allowed me to think critically, be strategic, and give and receive feedback.

It showed me the importance of being prepared, the value of relentless practice, and the impact of giving my all to something.

It motivated me to eat healthier, kept me physically fit, and improved my coordination, balance, and vision.

It helped to make me a better communicator, increased my emotional intelligence, and developed my listening skills.

Perhaps most importantly, it taught me how to build relationships. How to respect others, care for others, show empathy for others, support others, and have fun with others.

It did a lot, and I am grateful!

Now, as an adult, I'm the head coach of my son's little league team. I recognize the obligation I have to ensure their experience playing baseball will provide building blocks that will help them in life, and perhaps even in business.

I have a responsibility to do everything I can to give these kids an experience that will not only help them this year playing baseball, but in years to come as they navigate through life.

Below is an excerpt from the welcome email I sent to parents of the kids on my team. After I wrote this, I thought, wow, this email could have been sent to one of my teams and it would still apply (minus a few parts that are specific to baseball of course).

Team Culture:

Having the right kind of team culture is key to making any team successful. I still remember the values that my High School coach instilled in our team (Class, Hustle, Pride) and these words represented the way in which we acted as individuals and as teammates. This year, the three words that represent our values and culture are:

1. Hustle - In baseball, like most things in life, you get what you put into it. This means when we show up to practices and games the expectation of ourselves (kids, coaches, parents) is to give it our all. Hustling is more than running on and off the field or around the bases, although that is extremely important and absolutely expected as a bare minimum. Hustling is about giving 100% in everything we do. It means running hard, practicing with purpose and intention, and playing the game with everything we've got. This value will be repeated throughout the season and will be our North Star for how we will act as a team. Of course, as coaches, we will remember that this is something these young kids are still developing so we will never make them feel bad for not hustling. We will simply remind them of the importance of this value. These games are often won or loss based on hustle (especially when it comes to base-running) so a great byproduct of giving 100% is we will win more games.  

2. Respect - This is another value that we should have in life, not just baseball. As a Dodger, we will respect each other as teammates, we will respect the coaches and parents, we will respect the other teams, we will respect the umpires, and we will respect the game of baseball. Having respect means we treat others just as we would want to be treated and we acknowledge when we have failed to do so by owning up to it. None of us are perfect, so sometimes we do or say things we shouldn't. As a Dodger, we will apologize when we have hurt someone or have been disrespectful. As the manager, I will ensure that the environment our kids play in is one that always encourages respect for one another.  

3. Fun - This value is meant for the coaches and parents as much as it is for the kids. At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that this must be a fun and enjoyable experience that will help the kids fall in love with baseball. We all want to win and that is important, but let's ensure that kids have fun regardless of the outcome of the games. At practices, we will gamify the drills with points so they are fun and competitive. We will ensure the kids know the rules of the games and activities, we will push them to improve each week, and we will have fun while getting better! The games are naturally fun for the kids so long as we remember to keep it positive and upbeat. The coaches will provide guidance, support, and instruction to help the kids perform at their best and have fun while doing it. 

I will introduce these values at our first practice and throughout the season and I encourage you to reinforce them with your children.

End of Email

My thoughts:

Hustle: In business, while perhaps we wouldn't use the actual word "hustle" in many cases, there is great value in giving it our all, being on time, and practicing with purpose and intention. Often it is grit, determination, and attitude that separate high performers from average performers. Hustle, to me, is more about showing up and giving it our all than it is about speed, which is more a of byproduct. If a company or team if full of people that are "all-in" they can achieve amazing things!

Respect: "Assume positive intent" is a phase that was ingrained in me when I worked at Tesla, thanks to my mentor Ben Putterman. This is a sign of respect. If we work together at a bare minimum we should respect one another. Think about how our actions can negatively or positively impact those around us. No one wants to work in an environment where they don't feel respected, heard, or cared about. Also, we aren't perfect so if we do cross the line somehow we should be grown-up enough to acknowledge our mistake and apologize.

Fun: The average person spends 10,000 hours working, so much more than that. Life is way to short for us to not have fun at work. When we are having fun, we are in a better mood, we are able to think better, and have more creativity. A fun atmosphere at work can make the difference between retaining top talent and having them find somewhere else where they can have some fun! Unfortunately, all to often, work environments become so myopically focused on "work" that the fun is forgotten. This simply can't happen!

So what do you think?

I would love you hear your thoughts on this subject. Personal experiences, how playing sports played a role in your life, and if you believe the principles outlined in this email apply to business.

Please add your comments below 👇