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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pottruck, David S., 1948-
Stacking the deck: how to lead breakthrough change against any odds / David S. Pottruck.
1 online resource.
Includes index.
Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
ISBN 978-1-118-96689-1 (pdf) – ISBN 978-1-118-96690-7 (epub) – ISBN 978-1-118-96688-4 (hardback) 1. Organizational change. 2. Business planning. 3. Management. I. Title.
HD58.8
658.4′06 – dc23
2014023069
Foreword
By Tony La Russa
When you imagine breakthrough change, does baseball come to mind? Probably only on a limited basis, since baseball is often thought of as a traditional game, changing little over time. That may still be true in Little League and high school, but in the major leagues, baseball has changed dramatically, on the field, behind the scenes, and in the front office.
Baseball has been part of my life for over fifty years. I started playing professionally when I was seventeen and I've been a major league manager for more than three decades. Over those years, I've seen Major League Baseball embrace change while retaining its traditional roots, on and off the field. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has never been afraid to innovate, even in a game that traditionally has been resistant to change. He recently tapped a few of us with uniform experience to join with MLB staff to see if we could bring the benefits of technology to enhanced instant replay in baseball without slowing down the pace of the game. Could we build a model that worked, that didn't stop every play, but could help in instances in which human error had the potential to dramatically change the outcome of the competition?
This was a radical idea for baseball and a very public change. Being able to identify and clarify possible kinks in advance – to test the concept before rolling it out – was critical. We ran field tests during fall development games and spring training, where we could acquaint umpires and uniform personnel with the enhanced replay system. With these tests behind us and with the addition of two new crews of umpires, we have seen how replay challenges, very selectively used, can improve both the reality and the perception that the right call was made. The process has proven just how difficult the umpires' jobs are – and how good they are.
For this change, we had the advantage of time for extended advance planning, testing, and risk management. We also had an exceptional staff manning the entire effort. But what if you don't have these advantages? Then you will have to rely on the depth of your experience and perhaps outside advisors to spell the difference between success and failure. And now, you can also rely on the accumulated experiences of Dave Pottruck and the dozen top leaders he interviewed in developing and testing the concepts that appear in Stacking the Deck. His book provides the benefits of a range and depth of experience in leading breakthrough change that would take many lifetimes to accrue.
About a month before Dave asked me to consider writing this foreword, I'd taken on a new position, one that was new to me and to all of baseball: chief baseball officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team had been struggling and the front office realized it was time for breakthrough change. It's no secret that struggles create great opportunities. Sometimes that's hard to see from the inside, but the concept is clear to Dave. Stacking the Deck helps readers discover the opportunities that obstacles hold. That next step – leading breakthrough changes that turn opportunities into success – is one that all leaders must face, whether on the ball field, behind a desk, or in the boardroom.
Although my position is unique in the baseball world, its functions are familiar to many businesses. I was hired to evaluate and inspire people, and to help make our organization's teams more competitive by some changes in how we play the game. These are not easy tasks under any circumstances. But in baseball, the product has more moving parts than in most businesses: it's the team at large, the players for each game, the end result, the fan base, the league standing. Ultimately, the goal is a championship team and a winning season. And – in contrast to a tangible product off a production line – each year the product we're aiming for resets. We restart at zero, and are always competing against the changing rosters of 29 other teams.
On paper, I'm responsible to the organization and the people who hired me; personally, I'm also responsible to the members of the team, all the people involved with the team, and all the fans. My focus, as always, is very much about working with people. Success requires developing personal relationships. It's about communicating and inspiring people throughout the organization to be and perform at their best. Most particularly, in this new position, it's about inspiring players to be professional ball players and contributing teammates while also providing them the fundamental tools to succeed.
We are face to face with the effects of two of the major changes in baseball (and professional sports in general): the distortions in basic values and the distractions of fame and fortune that come along with the contracts today's players receive. Another dramatic change stems from the influence of analytics and metrics that can now be captured to help improve the product. Helpful as these numbers are in calculating averages and setting the teams, players are human and analytics alone are no substitute for human judgment and experience.
If you created teams by the numbers alone, as people do in fantasy baseball, putting together the best team for each game might seem simple. But, critical as they are, the historic numbers – players' batting averages against certain pitchers, base-running speed, steals – and the newly created analytic measures cannot reliably predict future performance. Once the teams are on the field, the human element trumps the metrics every time. It's the unmeasurable factors of competitive heart, toughness, and the willingness and ability to be a team member and a team player that give the edge. It's understanding the glories of competition and preparing the best you can. It's feeling the urgency and passion, and stepping up individually and as a cohesive team that make the difference – in each moment and in each game.
When it's all working right, the long-range goal of a winning season comes closer, game by game. But professional baseball is a long haul: 162 games over six months tells only part of the story. Tenacity, persistence, and resilience are all absolute requirements. There's the travel, the training, the injuries, the losses, the absence from loved ones. Years ago, when I was considering whether to continue as a coach or a manager, the late, great Cardinals' coach George Kissell told me that I had to have the desire and then asked, “Do you love the game? Do you want to learn it?” It was a simple formula that made clear his point that unless you relish learning every aspect of the game, you're not cut out for coaching or managing.
His advice really resonated and is, in my opinion, relevant for anyone heading for a baseball career. More broadly, his formula is applicable in approaching any field, determining whether you are sincerely passionate about it and can put your heart into it. You simply have to love your field and learn it in detail; you need passion, enthusiasm, and skills; and you must be personally accountable to be successful and to stay in the game.
