What the Business World Can Learn From Baseball

Have you heard? There’s a talent war coming. Maybe you’re already feeling the impact. What can today’s organizations do to position themselves for success?

The answer is found on the ball field.

Prior to my business career, I had the fortunate opportunity to play professional baseball. One of the many insights I learned is that the baseball industry evaluates natural talent extremely well. Baseball allows small market teams to compete with the big market, big money organizations.

How did the Kansas City Royals make it to the 2014 World Series with a salary payroll ranked only 19th in a league of 30 teams? How are they able to compete with teams that have 2.5 times their payroll?

How did the Oakland A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates make the playoffs last year with payrolls in the bottom quarter?

They build great feeder systems.

Baseball’s minor league system is a model for business success. These ball clubs understand it takes time to develop players. They give their players opportunities to get in the game so they can learn and develop and improve their skills.

These clubs also understand that when a star player is developed, they’ll most likely lose that star to the big market, big money organizations. However, smart teams prepare for it. They don’t miss a step because they have already developed and positioned the next talent to step up at a value the organization can afford. So their success continues.

The business world would do well to emulate baseball in this regard. If you’re looking for the polished “star,” you might not find it or be able to afford it. But if you develop young talent and prepare them to step up when openings arise, your organization will be able to withstand changes and propel your success without interruptions.

That’s where NeXtGen Advantage can help. We build rock solid feeder systems—internship programs and young professional retention strategies—designed to keep your organization in the game. Through targeted consulting, employer perception assessments, speaking and mentoring, we can deliver the insight you need to attract, motivate, and retain young talent for the benefit of future success.

For more information, contact me, Chad Kopitzke, at (920) 419-7710 or chad@nextgen-advantage.com. I’m looking forward to training your team for the win.